Déjà Vu
by LadywriterA
Summary: Ciara escapes from her captors & is rescued by a stranger. Everyone's amazed to see the rescuer is Carly Manning, Bo's ex fiancee. But Carly's amnesia seems to have returned. Bo's initial mission is to help Carly-now Clarice- to remember her past, but the former couple then succumb to love. Will Clarice ever remember? This Bo and Carly fanfiction was previously posted on my blog.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Ciara Brady ran through the bushes, heart thumping in terror. After chipping the wall made of rotten wood with her fork, she'd managed to squeeze through the hole she'd made; scratching her shoulder and arm rather badly. But she didn't care about the pain- she had to get out of the woods, find a way of getting back to Mummy and Daddy. She couldn't let them catch her.

She stopped when she felt a stitch on her side; breathing hard. She had no idea how long she'd been running but she figured she must have covered enough distance. She was far away from the cabin, or at least she hoped so.

'Mummy...' she whimpered, tears running down her cheeks. 'Daddy...' If she didn't hurry they, whoever they were, will find her, lock her up again!

She hurried on, keeping to the trees. She had to get to the main road!

A light ahead of her indicated that she was getting close... maybe a car will stop... and take her home. Excited, Ciara burst out onto the road and that instant there was a screech of wheels, the car narrowly missing her. Ciara raised her hands to her eyes, blocking the glare of the headlights.

'Oh my God!' she heard a woman exclaim and the door opened. 'Are you alright? What are you doing out here?'

Ciara ran to the stranger, filled with relief. 'Help me... take me home!' she begged, grasping her by the waist. 'Don't let them take me!'

'Slow down...' the woman squatted, holding her face. '"Them"?'

'Bad people... they kidnapped me... I want to go home!' Ciara sobbed, slipping her arms round the woman's neck.

The woman shushed her, holding her close. 'There, there... sweetie. I'll take you home to your Mum and Dad now. You're safe with me.'

Ciara nodded and sniffled, feeling much better. 'Thank you.'

'Come on,' picking her up, the stranger carried her to the car, placed her on the front seat and buckled her up. By the interior car light, she saw the bleeding cut on Ciara's shoulder. 'We'll have to do something about that cut first ...'

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo and his men came back to the station, exhausted. Dean Hartman, one of their best and loyal officers had managed to trace the kidnappers' latest call but had stupidly gone to their hideout himself, without informing Bo. But then they'd received a distress call from Dean and hurried to the kidnapper's hideout; an old cabin on the outskirts of Salem. The cabin was in flames and Dean was lying unconscious not far away, shot on the shoulder. For several terrifying minutes Bo thought his daughter was in it but on investigating after the fire was put out, only two charred bodies was found in the ruins... the kidnappers. According to Dean, after he was revived, one of the kidnappers had shot him but he didn't remember anything else except vaguely hearing the sound of them arguing before passing out. He did however remember seeing a woman in the room.

Hope's grief and anxiety had grown ten-fold. A few years ago, she had found Zach bleeding to death on their driveway and for a long time she and Bo had been cold strangers. Ciara's birth had eventually reunited them and the paternity test had sealed the reconciliation. But now their marriage was crumbling; not because of the kidnap but their heated arguments about the kidnapper's demands. Hope was more than ready to pay the ransom- her entire trust fund if necessary- to get her little girl back- but Bo had refused; according to his last vision if she did, Ciara would die. They had to follow his own methods. _Some methods_.

'If you'd only listened to me and let me pay the damned ransom- we'd have her back by now!' she screamed at Bo, tears pouring down her cheeks. 'But no, we had do things your way! This is your fault!'

Roman jumped into the fray. 'Cut it out, now's not the time to pass blame. Something just went wrong tonight...'

'Everything's gone wrong since I was stupid enough to listen to your brother!' Hope spat. 'The hell with his damned visions... they've gotten us nowhere... NOWHERE! Obviously the third kidnapper took Ciara away before torching the place, God knows what he's doing to her now, or has already done!' Bo slipped his arms round her but she fiercely slapped them away. 'Don't you touch me! If Ciara ends up dead, I'll never forgive you!' She began to cry again.

'If there's anyone to blame...' Justin said bitterly, 'it's that boy of yours... Dean. He shouldn't have gone out there without telling you, obviously his mind were on the reward money you promised.'

Bo gritted his teeth; he clearly detected criticism towards him in Justin's words, not towards Dean. And ever since their daughter was kidnapped Hope has been drifting further and further away, losing her faith in him. But his visions have never failed him; he knew deep in his heart that Ciara was alive and he'd done the right thing. And it was only a matter of time they'll find her safe and sound. But as for Dean, reward or not, was going to go on suspension when this whole mess was over for not following police protocol. If this was the way he going to behave all the time, his chances of making detective would be a long way off, _the stupid, stupid fool!_

Justin took Hope's arm, an action that made Bo's hackles rise but he said nothing. 'Come... you need rest. I'll take you to Mickey and Maggie's. Come on.' He glanced at Bo for confirmation and Bo nodded. In time he and Hope would be able to out this episode behind them and be back to the way they were and Justin keeping his hands to himself.

'What's the plan now?' Roman asked as soon as the door closed behind them.

'Kyle and his sister are dead... I just knew there was a third kidnapper.' Bo paced the room. 'He grabbed Ciara after killing them and torching the cabin, to another location. We wait for him to call.' He rubbed his eyes, thinking about his darling little girl. She must be so frightened right now.

Roman squeezed his arm comfortingly. 'Bo... You did what you thought was best. We don't always agree but I believe in you, I always have.'

'I know and thanks, I appreciate it. And I just hope I'll be vindicated in Hope's eyes when this is over. I can't lose her again.'

'You won't. You two have been through worse scenarios, Hope's just very upset right now. Give her some space and time to relax, she really doesn't blame you.'

'But Justin obviously does.' Bo said bitterly.

'Justin's an idiot under thousand dollar suits; his opinion doesn't matter so ignore him.'

'How's the other idiot?'

'Lexie says it's a flesh wound, he'll be alright. He was more interested in making detective than the reward, or so he kept saying.'

'He endangered my daughter's life!' Bo shouted. 'He didn't follow procedure and he's going to pay for it.'

'He's dedicated Bo, he's always been. Maybe he felt the need to prove himself, that's why he acted on impulse. I'm not defending him; he's just human; like all of us.'

Bo sighed, rubbing his neck gripped with tension. This whole episode was getting to him in more ways than one; he felt so helpless and alone with the way Hope had distanced herself from him. He needed her more than ever right now. If only...

 _Soft, tapered fingers sensually working on his shoulders and neck, her soothing voice in his ear. She always knew where the knots of tension were, swiftly smoothing them away. She made everything better... all the time..._

'You okay lil' brother?' Roman broke his train of thought.

'Fine. Just tired.' Was the gruff reply. He hadn't thought of _her_ in years _,_ except on very rare occasions and only for a minute before forcibly blocking her face away, refusing to picture of her very happy with a man he hated so much and wishing he'd made a bigger effort to keep her...

No, no... He was not going to think of what might have been. It only broke the heart into two. He loved Hope. _She_ on the other hand belonged in the past.

 _But she wouldn't act this way_ , a voice in his head pointed out. _She always believed in you. She never questioned you... you were larger than life to her._

Bo closed his eyes, tightly. This was one of the reasons why he forced back memories of her. She always made him feel better and longing for her now was like wishing for the moon.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Don't eat so fast. You'll choke in a minute. Here...' the stranger gently wiped Ciara's mouth with a paper napkin.

'Thank you.' Feeling pleasantly full, Ciara looked at her new friend sitting opposite her. They were at a diner; the woman had insisted they stop to attend to her shoulder and get some food. Borrowing a First-Aid kit from the proprietor, she'd cleaned her wound and bound it with a Band-Aid as skilfully as a doctor. Then she'd ordered a hot meal, making sure she ate every crumb; taking only coffee herself.

Ciara looked at her carefully. The stranger was pretty, very pretty with shoulder length brown hair and bright green eyes and she liked the long dark coat she was wearing.

'What's your name?'

The woman smiled warmly. 'You haven't told me yours.'

'Ciara Alice Brady.' Ciara replied proudly. 'My Mummy and Daddy are detectives.'

'That's very interesting, Ciara. Brady you say.'

Ciara nodded. 'You know them?'

'Only your Daddy... but we've never met. You have any idea who kidnapped you, Ciara?'

Ciara shifted uneasily in her seat. 'Mummy and Daddy always told me not to talk to strangers. But... this man, I met him at the park one day.'

'Did he tell you his name?'

'Kyle. He gave me a lollipop, he was so nice to me... he _looked_ nice!' Ciara said, so ashamed she'd disobeyed her parents.

'It's alright.' The woman soothed her, patting her hand. 'I'm sure they'll be too happy to see you to stay mad at you. Go on.'

'Well... I saw him again at the carnival; I was with Susan, my sitter. He said Mummy was in the hospital, that she was hurt in an accident and Daddy sent him to come get me. I went with him but...' Ciara gulped, painfully remembering, 'he drove me to a small house, and he...' she began sobbing, 'he blindfolded me and tied my hands behind me, and he put something on my ears... music kept playing, all I heard was music, I couldn't hear them talking.'

'You're sure this Kyle wasn't alone?'

'After he blindfolded me I smelt perfume, I guess the other person was a woman, she touched my cheek... her hand was soft.'

'I think you'll make a wonderful detective one day Ciara.' The woman said, very impressed.

Ciara grinned, feeling better again. No one could've paid her a better compliment.

'But...' she added, 'I remember something. I never heard what they said... but I did hear something, something weird.'

'What was it?'

Ciara wrinkled her face, wondering how to describe the sound. 'It went click, click, click... I heard it now and then.'

'A matchstick?'

Ciara shook her head. 'I don't know... it was a weird sound, I never heard it before. Somehow I got my hands out of the rope they used on me and I used my fork to break the wood. I heard them yelling at each other in the other room but I didn't hear much, I just wanted to get out of there.'

'Mmm...' the woman frowned thoughtfully. 'This Kyle was arguing with his partner then. Probably over the ransom they must have gotten from your parents.'

'What's a ransom?'

'Ransom is money kidnappers collect in exchange for the people they take. But why would they kidnap the daughter of two detectives? I don't understand.'

'My grandpa is very rich... Daddy's father; Victor Kiriakis.' Ciara replied. 'And I know Mummy has some money.'

'Then that explains it... I've heard of your grandfather of course, he's one of the richest men in this country. Well... you're safe now. And when we get you back to your family, you will tell your parents exactly what you just told me. These people who abducted you have to be punished and they will be, thanks to you.' The woman smoothed Ciara's hair. 'Let's get you home now.'

Ciara clung to her new friend's hand as they walked to her car. Even after what had happened to her, her instinct told Ciara this woman can be trusted. She had the warmest eyes she'd ever seen, as green as the stone...what was it called again... an emerald. Glancing at the hand on hers she noticed something else; her friend was wearing a sliver ring with a strange design; two hands holding a heart. Everything about this strange woman was very interesting. She hoped she would stay in Salem for a long time; she liked her very much already.

'Thank you for helping me like this.' she said as they drove off towards town. 'You don't even know me.'

'Maybe not, sweetie. But if there's one thing I hate most are people who kidnap children. They are the worst set of people to walk the earth.' For an instant, the stranger's eyes hardened. 'They deserve to be punished. And whoever did this to you _will_ be punished... a hundred times over.'

Ciara sat back in the leather upholstered seat, even more relaxed. No wonder she felt so safe with her; her new friend sounded a lot like her Daddy.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Even though Bo was a husband, father, grandfather and the Commissioner of Police; to Caroline he would always be the little boy who went to her for comfort whenever he was sad or upset. And her son was clearly very unhappy under the anger he was displaying. As soon as she walked into the office with Victor at her heels the first thing she did on sighting Bo's haggard face was hold him tightly, silently consoling him like she'd always done. Holding back his tears, Bo hugged her back, loving her so much for being there for him, especially at this time. He felt so alone right now.

'Hi Ma.'

'Has the third person called yet?' she asked. 'Roman told me what happened.'

Bo shook his head. 'But he will, any moment from now.'

'Bo, you should have allowed Hope or me to pay the ransom instead of offering a reward...'

'Keep quiet Victor!' was Caroline Brady's sharp admonition. 'Bo knew what he was doing and I won't stand for your sanctimonious attitude! How dare you question him?'

'It's alright Ma.' Bo didn't give his biological father so much as a glance. 'His opinions have never mattered.'

Victor bristled at the barely veiled insult. 'Ciara's important to me too, all I said was...'

'I don't care what you were trying to say. Ciara's my daughter, not yours.' Bo now faced him, eye to eye. 'You want to question me my judgment calls, at least I don't spend my time putting my children down, unlike you who make a sport out of it. Get off my back, Victor. I already have enough to worry about.'

'Allow me pay the ransom, Bo. I'll double it if necessary.' Victor said as if Bo hadn't spoken at all.

'I won't let you sign my daughter's death warrant. Hope will not pay the ransom and neither will you because I said so!' Bo's eyes glinted. 'You stay out of my way, or else.'

Abe, who was in the room swiftly intervened before the two men could come to blows. 'Bo's right, Victor; this is official police business. And you don't have the right to question Bo's methods; he did the right thing whether you think so or not.'

'I have the right to express my opinion...'

'You have the right to be _silent_ Victor or I'm going to ask you to leave.' Abe's voice was like steel, his face hard. 'You have no say in the matter; if you won't respect Bo's position, you'll respect mine. Understood?'

Victor glared but didn't reply. Abe Carver has never been intimidated by him or anyone else for that matter.

'Where's Hope?' he asked instead, turning to Roman.

Roman waved his hand impatiently. 'Justin took her to Mickey and Maggie's to cool off. She's better off there in the meantime anyway... We can't have her make a mistake by telling the kidnapper she wants to pay the ransom. Thanks to that moron Dean... he'll probably ask for more.'

Bo shook his head, still furious with Dean Hartman for compromising the case. Maybe it would be better if the ransom was paid after all... vision or no. Ciara and Hope were his highest priority and things weren't going according to plan, he had to vindicate himself somehow.

Then a miracle happened, in the form of Ciara running through the door, straight to him screaming, 'Daddy... Daddy!'

Disbelief and excruciating joy gripped Bo as he held his daughter in his arms and kissed her, other arms holding her as well; the sounds of laughter and sobbing.

'Oh thank God... thank God!' Caroline cried, pressing her face against the child's face. 'Are you alright, those people didn't hurt you?'

'How did you get here, who brought you?' Bo demanded, brushing back hair from her face. Scrambling down, Ciara ran to the door, hurrying to the woman standing outside with several uniformed officers and grabbed her hand.

'She saved me... She's my friend now!' she beamed up at her as she dragged her inside the office.

Bo gaped at the stranger in shock and amazement. So did Roman, Abe, Caroline and Victor.

' _Carly?_ ' He exclaimed in disbelief at the sight of his ex fiancée for the first time in several years. He had allowed himself to think about her, now she was standing in front of him in the flesh.

The woman frowned, looking baffled. 'I'm sorry?'

'Carly?' Caroline stepped forward, eyes scanning the familiar face, a face she never thought she would behold again. 'Don't you know us?'

She shook her head. 'I think you've got me confused with someone else. I was on my way here and I found your Ciara on the road. My name is Clarice; Clarice Parker.'

Bo felt he was reliving that incredible yet agonizing night all over again as he stared hard at her. When she'd walked up to him and Billie like a ghost from the spirit world after weeks of mourning her death... his joy had turned to horror and helpless anger on realising she didn't know him... her memories of their love completely erased, thanks to Vivian and Lawrence Alamain. It was Carly, it had to be; he would know that beautiful face anywhere. But what happened to her over the years, how come she was answering to the name Clarice now? Most important, why couldn't she remember him again?

Ciara frowned as well. 'Why are you calling her Carly? Her name's Clarice.' She looked up at her. 'Isn't it?'

'Of course it is.' She turned back to the group, still gaping. Look, I can show you some ID if you want... I'm not this Carly person.'

Victor opened his mouth to speak but Abe swiftly interrupted him. 'Abe Carver, Mayor.' He shook her hand. 'We can't tell you how glad we are Ciara's safe and grateful to you for bringing her home... isn't we?' he looked meaningfully at Victor. Forcibly, Victor pulled himself together and shook her hand as well. 'Victor Kiriakis, I'm Ciara's grandfather. This is Caroline Brady; her grandmother.'

Caroline ignored the hand, hugging her instead. Clarice looked bemused as she pulled back but she smiled shyly.

'I'm Commander Roman Brady, this Ciara's father, Bo.' Roman said, as amazed as the sudden appearance of Bo's ex. She looked genuinely confused by the name they were calling her. She truly didn't know them and there was something different about her; her clothes. The Carly they knew never wore long dark coats or knee high boots.

'Pleased to meet you both. I suppose you have questions to ask me, right?'

Roman looked at Bo, wondering if his emotions will allow him do so.

'Yeah... that's right.' Bo said, composing himself as well. 'Ma, take Ciara to Maggie's. Sweetie, your Mum's at your Uncle Mickey and Aunt's Maggie's... go there and give her a wonderful surprise, okay? I have to talk to Clarice here.'

'Okay.' Kissing him on the cheek, Ciara hugged her new friend round the waist. 'I'll see you later?'

The woman smiled. 'Yes, later dear.'

'Let's go, Victor.' Abe said commandingly as Victor made no move to leave. Victor looked at Bo then at Clarice for one long minute before following them.

'Sit down, _Clarice_.' Bo said as the door closed behind them.

'Thank you, Commissioner Brady.' Carly sat down.

Bo sat down opposite her, staring at her hard. _What_ did Larry do to her after they left Salem?

'I need to ask you where you were coming from, when you found my daughter on the road.'

Carly/Clarice hesitated. 'I was coming back from Cuba, a mission.'

'Mission?'

She hesitated again, and then reached for her purse on the table, opening it and pulled something out. 'I guess you have to know this at least.' She held up an ID. Beside the card was an ISA badge.

If Bo was shocked before, it wasn't compared to how he felt now.

Carly/ Clarice put the ID wallet back in her purse. 'I was there for two months, barely escaped. Call me paranoid, but when I landed, I chartered a boat and drove the rest of the way. That was when I saw your Ciara.'

Bo stared at her hard. 'You came back for debriefing then.'

'Yes.' She shrugged. 'I don't know where I'll be going next for a while. I'm wounded.'

'You are?' Bo asked, immediately concerned.

'I was shot in the back.' A faint mocking smile was on her face. 'Occupational hazard. I can't tell you more than that, Commissioner Brady.'

Bo wanted to ask, _why don't you remember me? What happened to you, Princess?_

'Is that all for now?' Carly/Clarice said, rising. 'It has been a long trip...'

Bo raised too, eyes on her face, looking for signs of recognition. None at all. She was clearly suffering from severe amnesia, unless she wasn't Carly after all.

'Well thank you for my daughter, Agent Parker. But you need come back here tomorrow and give your full statement.'

'Of course. I'll be here.' She held out her hand and he took it, his heart lurching. Not only because of the touch of her hand in his but by what she was wearing on her finger. The silver Claddagh ring he'd given her back in '92 as an early Christmas present.

She was Carly Manning, _his Carly_. And he still couldn't believe it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Roman shook his head as he listened to what Bo told him over the phone. 'I can't believe it... after all this time, Carly resurfaces and she didn't even recognise us. What could've happened?'

'That's what kept going through my mind the whole time she was talking... what the hell happened to her?' Bo said angrily. 'What the hell did that son of a bitch do to her; why the hell is she an ISA agent... Carly's a doctor, she saves lives for God's sake!'

'Have you toyed with the possibility she might not be Carly?'

'This woman isn't pretending to be Carly; she _is_ Carly!' Bo insisted. 'She was wearing the ring I gave her for Christmas years ago, the Claddagh ring Pop helped me get.' And what he couldn't say out loud; the rush he'd felt when their hands touched...

'I remember it.' Roman replied. 'What are you going to do now?'

'I'm going to call Shane soon as I can to get some answers; but in the meantime, nobody says a word to Hope about Car... I mean Clarice being my ex. The last thing she needs is somebody freaking her out with questions she can't answer and I don't want anyone else asking her anything when they see her, okay? You can tell Hope and the others some woman found Ciara and leave it like that. I'm coming over.'

'I'll take care of it, don't worry.' He understood perfectly; as an ISA agent, Carly couldn't afford to get confused and bewildered by suddenly being forced to dig into a past she knew nothing about.

'I'm on my way over now.' After he hung up, he pondered on Carly; wondering how long she's been suffering from amnesia. What had caused it; Trauma? Brainwashing? Larry had brainwashed her after digging her out of the grave but she'd regained her memory, it had been too late for them to salvage their relationship. Maybe Lawrence had abused her or used more extreme methods... stronger than whatever Vivian injected in her before, something that damaged her mind and changed her from Dr. Carly Manning; M.D to Agent Clarice Parker; ISA. And what was she exactly ... a spy? Or an assassin? No... Not Carly; she cared too much about human life. The family will of course respect his instruction about not pressing her. Hope knew nothing about Carly so she would be easy to deal with. Mickey Horton was trustworthy but Maggie, though a sweet, wonderful woman was Salem's biggest gossip. Victor was a much bigger problem; he was Carly's vindictive ex husband and a career criminal who's wormed his way out of arrests over the years, nobody really believed he was legit like he'd claimed to be since Pop's death. He can never know the wife who left him was ISA; he could do anything to her out of pure spite; finger her to one of his underworld associates or harm her emotionally.

'My God...' he whispered, anger burning his insides. 'What did you do to her, Larry?'

::::::::::::::

Hope's joy at seeing her darling daughter again, safe and sound, couldn't be described; she was still sobbing as she held and kissed Ciara, Maggie laughing and crying as well. Which was what was still going on when Bo arrived, Ciara enveloped by hugs and kisses from all present.

'Hey there, Bo.' Mickey Horton greeted warmly, shaking his hand. 'All's well that ends well, eh?'

'Yeah.' Bo agreed, opening his arms to pick up Ciara who ran up to him. 'Where's Clarice, Daddy?'

'Yeah, where is this Clarice Parker?' Hope asked. 'I thought she'll come with you; I wanted to thank her.'

Bo noticed that Hope made no move to hug him; her manner towards him still not softened.

'She's coming by the station in the morning to give a statement; she's tired from the long drive.'

Hope nodded, touching Ciara's hair; avoiding her husband's face. 'You'll see her again tomorrow, sweetie. But we have to go the hospital now.'

'Why?' Ciara whined. She hated hospitals.

'Just routine, I promise. Aunt Lexie's going to check you out and you'll be home in bed before you know it.'

Ciara shrugged resignedly before her eyes lit up again. 'Can I have ice cream afterwards?'

Bo laughed, kissing her on the forehead before setting her down. 'Lots and lots... whatever you like. First go upstairs and wash up a bit before we leave, alright?'

Hope took her hand and led her up the stairs, still not looking at Bo.

'Is something wrong, Bo?' Mickey asked.

'Why don't you ask Hope, she's the one being weird with me.' Was Bo's bitter reply.

'Hope will be fine, this whole thing's been a nightmare for her; would be for any mother. I'm talking about the way you sounded when Ciara asked about Clarice. Who is she?'

Bo looked towards the stairs to make sure Hope wasn't near enough to overhear what he was about to say. 'It's Carly.'

'Carly? As in Carly Manning, your ex fiancée?' Justin exclaimed.

'Keep your voice down!' Roman hissed, glaring at him.

'What is she doing in Salem?' Justin lowered his voice, his expression stunned. 'And under a different name? Is she in trouble?'

'It depends on what you define as trouble... Carly's suffering from memory loss.' Roman said. 'At least that's what we think it is.'

'Memory loss?' Maggie asked, incredulously.

'She didn't recognise any of us at the station; not even Bo.' Caroline said, looking worried and upset. 'It was like she was just meeting us for the first time; just like with Steve when he came back.'

Justin looked at Bo. 'What is she doing in Salem then?'

'Listen, this can't leave this room... you especially are not to say a word about this.' Bo addressed Justin warningly. 'Carly's ISA. She was coming back from an assignment and that's how she found Ciara on the road.'

'I don't believe this,' Caroline whispered, hand to her chest. 'How is this possible Bo... Carly's a _doctor;_ what is she doing with the ISA? What could've caused her amnesia?'

'Not what, who.' Bo said grimly.

'Larry?' Mickey guessed.

'Yeah. I'll get answers from Shane in the morning. In the meantime... nobody says anything to Hope and nobody asks Carly anything. As far as she's concerned she's Clarice Parker, okay?'

'No, no... Of course not.' Maggie promised, though she was already burning with curiosity. So was Justin, who watched Bo's face the whole time. What was Bo actually feeling about Carly's return and what did he intend on doing about it?

Hope came downstairs with Ciara and the conversation was temporarily suspended.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

As Lexie examined Ciara with Hope hovering close by, Roman took Bo aside, away from the others. 'One thing I want to know Bo... do you think Frankie knows about Carly's condition?'

Bo thought about it for a few minutes then shook his head. 'I don't think so, he would've told me the last time he was here. Or Jennifer at least, he spent a lot of time with her. Come to think of it...' he realised, 'we never talked about Carly.'

'Your choice or his?'

Bo shook his head. 'Mine. Of course I asked after her, he said "fine" and changed the subject.'

'Why would he do that?'

'I don't know, I didn't think much of it at the time. I didn't... I didn't want to go down memory lane. Letting Carly go was the most painful thing I ever had to do; for years I blocked her out of my mind, Rom.'

'I know.' Roman squeezed his shoulder. He was the only one besides another who knew what had happened on the boat; Carly had remembered Bo but Lawrence had gotten to her emotionally, using the time she was convalescing from her ordeal to fall back in love with him. Bo had been devastated but he'd loved her too much to force back something Larry had taken away. 'But we have a catch-22 situation right now. If Carly does have amnesia, we can't let her go on like this; she has a right to know who she really is. On the other hand, what's going to happen if she does remember? It's going to complicate things with you and Hope.'

'I'm fully aware we can't let Carly keep thinking she's Clarice. Hope and I are going to be alright, she's just upset with me right now but it doesn't mean our marriage's on the rocks. All I want to do is help Carly get her memory back, nothing more. And when that happens, Carly will never do what Billie did to me. She's not Clarice Parker and she doesn't belong to ISA.' Bo couldn't bear to imagine Carly wielding a gun.

Roman nodded. 'But how are we going to keep her here?'

Bo raised one eyebrow. 'We?'

Roman snorted. 'I didn't always agree with Carly's ways of handling things but I loved her like a sister. Of course I want to help her get her life back.'

Bo smiled gratefully at his brother, very glad they were on the same wave length. 'We'll find a way. But right after I talk to Shane. And... I think you should call Frankie. Don't tell him she's here, just pretend you were calling to see how he's doing and work Carly's name into the conversation.'

Roman nodded. 'I'll do that. Find all you can from Shane. This whole thing's got me very curious.'

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Clarice could still feel his hand on hers; akin to a warm flame, even after she stepped out of the shower. From the moment she'd laid eyes on Bo Brady across the room, she'd gotten full blast of the raw animal magnetism he radiated. His name had been mentioned in passing once by some fellow agents who worked with him on a few cases in the past and she hadn't given it much thought, now that she's seen him in the flesh at last she couldn't get him out her mind. Especially his brown eyes, piercing yet sensitive. No man has ever made her feel this way and on a first meeting too.

 _Pull yourself together Clarice_ ; she told herself sternly as she towelled her hair dry. _You're not some teenage girl drooling after the high school jock; you're a professional who's never allowed emotions to overwhelm her. Bo Brady's a married man, a family man... unavailable and way beyond your reach._

And it's not like she was going to be in Salem for long. In the morning she was going over to ISA headquarters to give her report which will be transferred to the Head Office in D.C; recover from her injury for some time and it's back to New York for her. She might even go to Connecticut where her house was for some real peace and quiet; she was for due for some time off.

Brushing her teeth and slipping on an oversize T shirt, she gratefully sank into the soft mattress, covering herself with the cool, clean sheets. She thought of Ciara, glad she was able to save that sweet little girl. But as she fell asleep, her mind shifted back to Ciara's father. And wondered for one lazy minute why he and Mrs. Brady had called her Carly.

:::::::::::::::::

To Bo and Hope's great relief; there was no sign that Ciara had been physically abused as the late Kyle had been convicted before for raping a minor. Hope insisted on seeing Dean before they left; to thank him for his efforts even though he had acted stupidly.

'Luckily his wound's not so serious so we're releasing him now. I guess you'll want to take his statement before he goes home.' Lexie said. As she spoke, a nurse appeared, pushing Dean's wheelchair.

Hope did all the talking; Bo was yet to forgive him for the way he had acted so he didn't say much to him. Suppose Ciara hadn't escaped and run into Carly?

Dean grinned at Ciara. 'You're alright, kid? Bet you're glad to be with Mum and Dad again.'

'Yes.' Ciara said quietly, holding on to Bo's hand.

'I'll take Dean's statement; you two take Ciara home.' Roman instructed. 'Lord knows it's been a very long night and we all need rest.'

'Yeah, of course.' Hope smiled at Dean. 'Thanks again for everything, Dean.'

'I just did my job; Detective Brady.'

'And then some.' Bo said coldly.

Dean's face went red.

'Bo, lay off him.' Hope scolded. 'He's been through enough.'

'No, that's okay; I... I know I didn't follow procedure but I really wanted to bring Ciara here safe and sound, sir... honestly.'

Bo just barely managed to control his temper but he nodded. 'Roman here will take your statement and you can go home and get some sleep.'

Picking Ciara up, he and Hope said goodnight to the rest of the family and drove home; in silence. At their house, Hope gave Ciara a bath but took her to their own room, tucking her under the blankets. 'I think it would be a good idea if she slept with me tonight.' She said as Ciara drifted off to sleep.

Bo regarded Hope's averted face for a minute. Me, not us. He reached out to touch her shoulder but she shrank away from his touch and went downstairs. He followed her, upset by her attitude. 'Fancy face...'

'You accuse Dean of not following procedure. But you... you had to go on T.V and offer a reward instead of letting me pay the ransom, you were really the one who almost got our little girl killed.'

'We've been through this; it was the safest option...'

'No Brady... It was the _best_ option; because it was decided by you. Your methods are always the better ones and you just won't listen to anybody.' Hope turned to look at him, her lovely dark eyes as cold as her tone. 'Especially me.'

'Hope, I've never turned down your ideas or looked down on your methods; we're not just Man and Wife, we're partners.'

Hope's face didn't soften. 'Partners have an equal relationship; which we don't have. You should've let me pay the ransom instead of exposing Ciara like that.' Her voice now rose. 'It was obviously what they were arguing about when Dean got there... ransom turned to a reward; Ciara was this close to being killed, thanks to you! She could've been in that cabin when the third guy torched it... he could've found her in the woods before she got to the highway! All you!'

'Hope, let's not do this.' Bo replied, quietly. 'We need each other more than ever, with what's happened. You know I'll never do anything to harm our daughter, or any of my children.'

Hope stared him down before going to the door and locking it for the night. 'Well I guess the reward goes to this Clarice Parker; I'll make arrangements with Justin after I meet her.'

'She won't take it. She's an ISA agent.'

Hope looked startled. 'ISA? No... Of course she won't take it. Well then it goes to Dean.'

'No...'

'Bo, I'm tired, way too tired and exhausted to argue about this right now. I'm going to bed; we'll discuss it in the morning.' She went upstairs again.

Sighing, Bo switched off the lights before going upstairs as well, to the guest room. As he got into bed, he thought over the conversation he had with Roman at the hospital. Two important things truly had to be resolved; Carly's memory and his marriage.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Meanwhile Dean Hartman lay in bed in his apartment; his mind filled with dark thoughts. His work was still not done.

Not by a long shot... he thought as he lit a cigarette.

 _Click, Click, Click..._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bo contacted his brother-in-law Shane Donovan via a video call the next morning.

'How come you didn't know Carly's in the agency?'

'ISA agents are scattered round the globe, Bo; you know that.' Shane said. 'You know I'm with the L.A branch, she obviously belongs to one of our many other branches; here or outside the States. And I have to tell you; this memory loss of hers disturbs me a lot.'

'Me too and I have no idea how long she'd had it Shane, or why. Which is where you come in; I want you to find out everything you can about her life before she joined ISA, how long she's been an agent.' Bo gave Shane her ID number.

'Fine; I'll go through her records and get back to you today. Does Kimberly need to know about this?'

'Yeah, you can tell her... just send me the information as soon as possible.'

'Will do, Bo.' After having breakfast with Ciara and Hope- whose manner towards him was still decidedly frosty- to his distress, he went to the station. As he was reading Dean's typed statement, Roman put his head round the door. 'She's here.'

Bo got up immediately, straightening his tie _. Carly... no Clarice for now_ , he reminded himself, managing to assume a neutral expression as Roman ushered her in. Whatever caused her memory loss hadn't affected her beauty; she was even more beautiful than the last time he'd seen her sixteen years ago, a face any man would look at over and over again. Her emerald green eyes, what he'd especially loved about her, were still the same; vibrant yet shrewd and she looked very elegant in caramel pants, matching long jacket and a black turtle neck.

'Hello again, Commissioner Brady.' Clarice smiled. The same sweet smile. As he enfolded her slim fingers with his Bo felt another strange rush go through him; which he firmly ignored.

'We're not formal around here, Clarice; please call me Bo.'

'Bo... of course.'

'And Roman to you,' Roman added, pulling out a chair for her. 'Sit down.'

Bo reached for the small tape recorder used to tape witnesses' statements and Clarice told them what happened, including what Ciara had told her at the diner. Bo and Roman listened intently; Ciara hadn't been questioned about what went on during her captivity because Hope didn't want her reliving the harrowing experience.

Bo and Roman looked at each other thoughtfully. Whatever the sound Ciara had heard, it wasn't important now since Kyle his accomplice were dead. Bo explained the case to Clarice, adding the part of the torched cabin.

'We figured the third kidnapper must have been arguing with Kyle and his partner and was about to torch the place when Dean arrived since we found Dean unconscious outside when we got there. Whoever he is... he's still out there so we have to keep Ciara at close guard.' Roman added.

Clarice looked thoughtful. 'Commissioner Brady... sorry... Bo,' she corrected herself as he shook his head. 'Obviously the third kidnapper's someone Ciara knows, someone she's seen before. She already knew how this Kyle looked and sounded like because he was the one who came up to her in the park and at the carnival in the first place. So... why would he take the trouble to block her ears with music?'

 _Spoken like a true detective..._ thought Bo, filled with admiration, as he kept his eyes on her. Roman too was impressed.

Clarice went on, 'Ciara's a very observant little girl. On the way here I asked her if she heard the woman's voice. She said she didn't sound like anyone she knows. If this woman was planning on skipping town with Kyle once they got the ransom...'

'Why bother shielding her voice if she'll be long gone before Ciara can identify her.' Bo finished her sentence. 'The third kidnapper didn't want Ciara to recognise his voice because he's not a stranger to her. It makes a lot of sense.'

'Bo, Roman... I'm going to be in town for a while. With your permission, I'd like to help you with what's left of this case. Like you said, Ciara's still in danger since whoever this person is covered his tracks well by making sure she didn't see or hear him. It could be anybody you both know. Obviously a "him" since Ciara didn't sense two types of perfume.'

Bo met his brother's eyes and Roman nodded in agreement.

'Any help you give us will be appreciated, Clarice. We're glad to have you on board.' Bo shook her hand again as she rose from her seat, immediately wishing he hadn't as he experienced the odd sensation again as their hands made contact. He met her eyes, finding it hard to look away.

Roman swiftly rescued him by clearing his throat and Bo let go of her hand.

'Yeah Clarice, we're glad to liaise with you on this case, considering the kidnapped person's a member of our family.'

Clarice shrugged. 'It's no problem at all. Besides, anybody who goes around kidnapping children need to be taught a lesson.'

Roman patted her shoulder. 'Oh, he will be once we catch him.' As he spoke, Hope entered the office.

'Clarice, this is my wife; Detective Hope Brady.' Never, never did Bo ever think he would be doing this, introducing Hope to a former great love. 'Hope, this is Agent Clarice Parker.'

Hope looked over her carefully as they shook hands; taking note of the woman's exotic features.

'Mrs. Brady...'

Hope shook her head, looking scandalised. 'Nobody calls me that, Hope please. And thank you for helping my daughter.'

'I just happened to be there. How is she?'

'She's very glad to be home; I just dropped her off at her grandmother's. She's been asking for you, actually. And Caroline wondered if you will join us for a family lunch today.'

 _Say yes..._ Bo willed silently, watching Clarice. Being back in a house she went to many times in the past might trigger something in her mind. It could be a start.

'Uh... sure. I'd love to.' Clarice smiled.

'By the way; Clarice is going to help us close the case.' Roman informed her.

Hope frowned. For some reason this didn't sit well with her. 'Really? Why?'

Bo told her what their daughter had told Clarice and Clarice's theory. 'So she's offered to help us catch this guy, whoever he is.'

Hope hesitated for a minute. 'ISA don't usually handle kidnappings.'

'I know. But I was recruited from the FBI; back then I was with the BAU... I profiled suspected kidnappers who also turned out to be serial killers and before that, I was an officer with the NYPD.'

Bo and Roman barely managed to hide their amazement as they digested her words. _Shane better hurry up with that info before I lose it!_ Bo thought in frustration.

Hope bit her lip, suddenly feeling she'd just been made to look foolish. 'Of course I don't doubt your expertise, Agent Parker. I'm just saying...'

'Hope.' Bo firmly cut in, 'Clarice volunteered to help us and Roman and I are in agreement. And with the theory she's given, we could really use her.'

'Look, if this is going to present a problem...' Clarice began anxiously.

'No Clarice, no problem at all. You have my complete approval. In the meantime, I'd like you and my brother to leave me and Detective Brady alone for a minute.' Bo said, looking daggers at his wife.

Roman took Clarice's arm. 'Come on, I'll make you some coffee.' Clarice followed him willingly; puzzled by the hostile vibes in the air.

'Does it hurt you to show a little courtesy and gratitude?' Bo hissed at Hope as soon as the door closed.

'What are you talking about?' Hope snapped.

'You basically hinted that we don't need her help. What the hell is that?'

'I wasn't trying to offend Agent Parker... I just think it isn't necessary; we can handle this ourselves.'

'Well, it's not your call. She's going to help us solve this case; period.'

Hope stared at him, dark eyes angry and resentful. 'Well, since she's going to have to put up with you bossing her around, good luck to her. Has Dean come in yet?'

'I imagine he'll probably sleep in today. Why?'

'I told you last night I'm giving him the reward.'

'No way.'

'Are you going to tell me what I can and can't do with my own money again? You were the one who decided to offer a reward instead of paying the ransom, remember?'

'Department's rules state that an officer on duty isn't eligible for the reward, you know that very well.'

' _My rule_ ,' Hope said with emphasis, 'states that a promise is a debt. Dean put his life on the line when he went out there to rescue Ciara and I'm going to make sure he's compensated. Justin agrees with me and he's going to arrange for the money to be wired.'

'Oh sure... _Justin_.' Bo snapped. 'You can guarantee him agreeing with you, can't you?'

'Well, it's not like I've had much luck with my husband in that area.' Hope snapped back. 'Dean's getting the reward; end of discussion.'

Swiftly, Bo walked across the room as she turned away; grabbing her arms before she could open the door and forced her to face him.

'What's happened to us?' he whispered. 'Why are you being this way with me... _why?_ '

Hope disentangled herself from his grip. 'Because you refuse to admit you screwed up, that's why. Now you won't let me do the right thing, even after you proposed it on TV.'

'For God's sake... '

'Brady, just leave me alone. When you're ready to say you were wrong, let me know, okay?' Shoving him aside, she opened the door and left, slamming it behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

'Sorry it's not the best brand.' Roman chuckled as Clarice made a face after taking a sip of the coffee he'd gotten from the station's coffee machine.

'Don't worry about it; I've tasted worse.' Clarice grinned ruefully. It was hard for Roman to think of her as Clarice in the meantime; again he wished he knew the reason behind her amnesia. And like Bo, he couldn't help but notice; she really looked more beautiful than before.

Clarice looked at Roman carefully, thinking how good looks ran in the family; Roman was as handsome as his brother. And funny and witty; comfortable to be around with unlike Bo who set her heart fluttering anytime he was near.

'You should try the coffee served at our family Pub; best one in Salem though _The Java_ tries to prove otherwise.'

'Your family owns a Pub?'

Roman nodded, inwardly wanting to scream in despair. When she was Carly she had helped with the renovation.

'It used to be a Fish Market, then my parents decided to change it to what it is today. You should stop by and see it for yourself.'

Clarice nodded then frowned. 'Is Victor Kiriakis your stepfather then?'

Roman shuddered at the very idea. 'Lord, no. He's Bo's biological father that's all. My father Shawn was the one who really raised Bo. We lost him a few years ago.'

'I'm sorry.' Clarice murmured sympathetically. 'Bo must miss him as much as you do.'

'Yeah they were very close.' Roman thought of Shawn with a small wave of sadness.

Clarice put down her cup. 'I don't mean to pry, but what's going on with Bo and Hope? I got the feeling she's angry with him about something.'

'Oh that...' Roman waved his hand dismissively, 'just a misunderstanding; the usual stuff between married couples. They're probably settling things as we speak.

'And you? What's your story?'

'Divorced 16 years; five kids and four grandchildren.' Seizing the opportunity, he leaned forward, watching her intently. 'And your story, Clarice?'

'I have no family; only my work. When I'm not chasing criminals and secrets around the world, I'm at my small lake house in Connecticut; fishing or tending to my garden. I have an apartment in New York but I try to get away from the city whenever I can.'

'You're so lucky!' Roman sighed enviously. 'I don't remember the last time I went fishing.' Not wanting to digress from the subject, he probed further. 'You said you were in the FBI, before that... with the NYPD. So... you grew up in New York?'

Before Clarice could reply, Bo appeared at the doorway, looking shaken. Roman guessed rightly that he and Hope have been at each other's throats again.

'Bo...' Clarice got up, walking to him. 'Are you alright?'

How could he be alright... when his wife persisted at being hostile to him. Bo felt like pounding his fist against the wall, break something.

'Bo?' Clarice took his arm. 'What is it?'

 _Oh God, Carly... please don't touch me_ , he thought as he looked down at her beautiful eyes which were filled with genuine concern. Sixteen long years apart and she was affecting him in a way he wasn't at all comfortable with. He cared enough about her to want to help her get back her memory but it didn't mean he was interested in going back to their past. He was very much in love with Hope; he and Carly were the past.

With that in mind, he smiled faintly; gently removing his arm from her touch. 'I'm fine. Hope and I just got in a little disagreement, that's all. Nothing to worry about.'

'Okay... if you say so.' Clarice replied, although she didn't believe him. She didn't like the way he looked upset and she felt oddly protective of him. Why am I so aware of him? She wondered.

She glanced at her watch. 'I have to report to Headquarters now. So, I'll see you later at your mother's house?'

'Yeah, here's the address.' Roman wrote it down on a piece of paper and handed it to her. 'Mum's a great cook so I hope your meeting won't take long.'

'It will be nice to have a home cooked meal for once.' Clarice agreed, laughing. Glancing at Bo, she said quietly. 'See you both later.'

Bo nodded at her, his eyes following her as she left.

'What happened?' Roman asked.

Bo sank into a chair. 'Hope feels I screwed up by offering a reward instead of letting her pay the ransom. Now she wants to give the ransom to Dean.'

'Dean's isn't eligible for the reward.'

'I told her that but she seems to be playing the tit for tat game; I didn't listen to her hence she won't listen to me! And Justin, I've had it up to here with his meddling and I'm going to make sure he knows it the next time I see him.' Bo said angrily.

Roman shook his head, exasperated by Justin as well. 'I think you and Hope need to get away from town for a while. Take Ciara and go to Chicago and see Shawn D and Belle; go sailing. Hope will probably feel better then.'

'Ciara's case isn't over.'

'Carly... I mean, Clarice and I will handle it. And speaking about Clarice... you need to be careful.'

Bo turned his head to look at his brother warily. 'What do you mean?'

'Bo, I'm not an idiot. I saw the way you looked at her in your office. Things between you and Hope are already rocky... you don't want to bring Clarice in the middle.'

'Nothing's going to happen between me and Clarice, Roman; it was a long time ago and a lot of things have changed since we broke up. I just want to help her, that's all. I love Hope, always will.'

As he spoke , he tried not to think of Clarice's emerald green eyes and how his body had reacted when she touched his arm. How wonderful it had felt to hear her voice again...

 _That may be true little bro, but you and that little girl had a deep connection back in the day; way deeper than whatever you had with Billie,_ thought Roman. Bo's love for Carly had been deep, spiritual. Letting her go had really devastated him.

'Whatever. Have you talked to Shane?'

'Yeah.' Bo straightened up in his chair. 'He's going to get back to me as soon as he's gathered what we need. Did you call Frankie?'

Roman shook his head. 'He's in Brazil on business. I left a message.'

'Damn it!' Bo snapped. 'Well we'll just have to...'

'Bo.' Victor entered. 'I was just at your office looking for you.'

'If you're here to start with me about the ransom again...' Bo began angrily.

'I'm not here to talk about your bad judgment call, it's about Carly. What's that woman doing back in Salem?'

Bo rose from his seat. 'How's that any of your business?'

'I'm making it my business.' Victor said coldly. 'Especially if she's going to be a threat to your marriage.'

'You don't know what you're saying.' Roman retorted. 'And you have no right to assume Carly's here to make trouble.'

'Oh really?' Victor scoffed. 'Coming here and carrying out that performance for Ciara's benefit, what am I supposed to think otherwise?'

'Carly doesn't know us, she doesn't even know who she really is.' Bo snapped. 'She has amnesia and we're trying to get to the bottom of it.'

Victor looked momentarily taken aback. 'Amnesia?'

'That's right, sorry to disappoint you. Right now, she's Clarice Parker and for the record, I don't want you anywhere near her, for any reason.'

'What... you think I'll harm her?'

'Why not... you did all you could to hurt her years ago,' Roman replied. 'Since she can't remember anyone of us or her own past, it will be more than convenient for you.'

'You're being ridiculous, I'm just watching out for my son's welfare.'

'Let me worry about my own welfare, Victor; thank you very much.' Bo said coldly. 'My marriage's none of your business. And stay away from Clarice. I'm not about to let her get confused her by a damned inquisition from you.'

'Does Hope know she's your ex?'

'No she doesn't, and Bo just told you this got nothing to do with you!' Roman shouted. 'She may be Bo's ex, but her brother was adopted by this family which still makes her one of us and we're willing to do all we can to help and protect her. You leave her alone or you'll answer to us. And don't you dare tell Hope anything.'

Victor's eyes glittered, furious at being spoken this way. 'She just better not cause trouble within the family that's all I'm saying; amnesia or not.' With that, he stalked out.

'Damn him!' Bo spat savagely.

'We've got to keep him away from her, Bo.' Roman said. 'And he can't find out she's ISA; not with his criminal ties.'

'I know!' Bo ran his hand over his head in aggravation. 'But that might not be too difficult; ISA agents usually have cover identities so she's safe unless Justin tells Victor.'

'Justin's got his faults but he won't deliberately expose her like that and if he does I'll kick his ass from here to Harmony.' Roman vowed. 'I wish Shane will hurry up with that info; I can't stand this whole suspense!'

::::::::::::::::::::::::

Clarice's debriefing lasted for a few hours and was commended for a job well done afterwards. As soon as she left the ISA building- its cover name being Transworld Finance- she shopped for some new clothes and a hair trim before going back to The Salem Inn to change into something more casual for her lunch with the Bradys; a white silk blouse with elbow sleeves and black pants, sprayed on some Givenchy and brushed her hair. As she looked at the mirror, she thought of Bo Brady again and the connection she felt with him. Like he was someone who's been missing from her life... her missing other half.

She put the brush down, shaking her head. _Oh Clarice... Clarice... snap out it! How can you possibly feel a connection with a man you just met!_

But there was no denying it; she was deeply attracted to him... whether she meant to be or not. She could avoid him by cancelling and say she couldn't make it to lunch but she didn't want to offend Mrs. Brady either. She could only rely on sheer stoicism especially since Hope was going to be there.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Caroline met her at the door; enveloping her in a warm hug. 'I'm so glad you're able to join us, welcome.' She led her in, watching her closely; like Bo she wondered if the house would trigger a memory.

'Thank you Mrs. Brady; you have a lovely home. Hey Ciara!' She opened her arms as the little girl ran to her, scooping her up in her arms then flinched at the dull pain from the healing gunshot wound on her lower back.

'Are you okay?' Ciara asked anxiously as she was set down.

'I'm fine, just a little pain on my back, nothing serious. Hello again, Hope... Bo.'

Hope nodded, while Bo smiled warmly at her in spite of himself. She looked so beautiful in the casual clothes she'd changed into. Luckily some of the family members were either too young to remember Carly or not born when they were together; Stephanie, Phillip, Will and Brady- who looked at Clarice oddly- when they were introduced, the few who did remember her: Sami, for instance, stared at her in amazement but did what her father instructed her to do.

To her relief, Caroline seated her next to Roman but she still had to cope with not meeting Bo's eyes since he was seated opposite her. As they ate, Bo watched Clarice, unobserved as she chatted with Ciara who was seated on her left. Already she had a rapport with his daughter just like with Shawn D when he was a boy. He suddenly wondered about Nicky; if he was aware of his mother's condition. And until Frankie returned from his trip, they were yet to know his own answer.

Clarice suddenly met his eyes. Brown and Green locked again for a few seconds. Blushing red, she turned away and resumed tucking into desert.

 _This is not going to easy at all_ , thought Bo.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

To Bo and Roman's surprise; Clarice insisted on starting work on solving the case. 'Come on... you just got here.' Roman protested.

'I've nothing else to do right now; technically I'm on leave. Besides, the sooner we catch this guy; the quicker your family can breathe easy.' Clarice said briskly. Turning to Caroline, she smiled. 'Thanks for the hospitality, Mrs. Brady. I haven't eaten this much in weeks.'

'The pleasure's all mine... Clarice.' Caroline smiled back but inwardly distressed. So was Sami and Brady who now recognised Clarice as the woman he'd seen with his mother in an old photo; Bo had taken him aside to explain after he'd voiced his observation.

'Please come again, you' re always welcome here, alright?'

'I'll bear that in mind. And it was nice meeting you all.' She nodded at Hope and gathered Ciara in her arms.

'I drew a picture for you but I forgot it at home.' Ciara said apologetically.

'Oh that's alright love... I'll stop by later for it, promise.' Clarice kissed her again, stroking her hair. Hope couldn't help but smile at the way Ciara had taken to her so soon. Bo on the other hand was struggling to quell the feeling of tenderness within him as he watched Ciara touch Clarice's face, grinning at her. Again, it was like seeing her with Shawn Douglas. When they'd been a family and so happy on the boat... Carly tending to both of them and spreading love...

 _Focus Bo!_ His head sternly reminded him. _That was a long time ago!_

Clarice met his eyes for a second as though aware of his thoughts but then turned away, going red again. It was a long time since he saw a woman blush and it was oddly touching. Forcing his eyes away from her, he turned to Hope instead. 'Are you coming back to the station with us or heading home?'

'I'm going over to see Justin, to make the necessary arrangements then I'm heading over to Uncle Mickey's.'

Clarice saw the way Bo's face tightened but he said nothing; instead he stroked Ciara's hair. 'See you later, little one. Clarice, Ro... Let's go.'

Abe was at his desk when they arrived back at the station; talking to Dean. He rose on seeing Clarice with Bo and Roman.

'Abe... Clarice here is going to help wrap up this case. Hello Dean.'

'Sir.' Dean inclined his head respectfully before looking at Clarice in a way Bo didn't like at all, like he was mentally stripping her naked.

'She is?' Abe asked, astonished. Bo and Roman realised they'd neglected to tell Abe about Carly's new line of work and the problem they needed to solve.

'Dean, will you excuse us please?'

'Sure sir.' Giving Clarice another glance Dean left, closing the door behind him.

'Will you mind telling me what this is about?'

'I can explain Mayor Carver...'

'Abe.'

'Alright, Abe. I offered to help Salem P.D with the case; I know ISA don't normally handle this sort but since I've nothing to do in the meantime...' she spread her hands. 'If you don't mind, that is.'

Bo and Roman saw the look of sheer amazement on Abe's face and pitied him; they were still trying to accept this new Carly. Roman cleared his throat. 'Clarice wants to profile the third kidnapper, give us an idea who he could be and there's a very strong possibility he's no stranger to us.'

'Are you serious? What made you arrive at that conclusion?'

'Ciara told me they blocked her ears with music, obviously this third person didn't want Ciara to recognise his voice. And since he's still out there, we have to move fast before he tries to abduct Ciara again right under our noses.' She turned to Bo. 'Can I see the case file, please?'

'It's on my desk. Go on.'

'Excuse me.'

Clarice saw Dean at the water dispenser, lighting a cigarette. He nodded at her, smiling.

'Officer Dean Hartman, at your service. Are you a transfer, Ms...?'

'Clarice Parker and more like a temporary consultant. You're the officer who found the hideout. Aren't you supposed to be resting today?' she asked, shaking his proffered hand.

'Oh, I got sort of antsy lying in that lonely apartment. And...' he looked pensive, 'I felt so guilty at how I messed things up, I could've have gotten Ciara killed...'

'Now, now...' Clarice said briskly, 'She's safe and I'm sure Bo doesn't blame you so cheer up. Still, you need to rest that arm of yours.'

'It's really nothing.' He rubbed it gingerly. 'If there's anything I can do to help you, let me know.'

'I appreciate that, thanks.' _No thanks_... she thought. What he did was reprehensible; it was just divine intervention that led Ciara to her in the first place otherwise things could have ended tragically last night. 'See you later.' She made her way to Bo's office.

Dean crushed the lit cigarette, his smile fading. Damn it! They've brought in an ISA agent and the bitch's already figured out why Ciara's ears had been blocked. He had to get the money and skip town before they caught up on him. He already hated Clarice Parker as much as he hated Hope Brady; she must have slept her way up to the position she now held at the ISA- obviously depriving some poor bastard of it.

 _But she's a lot prettier though_... He thought with some regret. If he wasn't so anxious to leave town he might have asked her out, give his colleagues and the stuck up Commissioner something to think about.

::::::::::::::::::::

Abe listened to Bo's narrative in silence. 'You've got to be kidding me.'

'Join the club of disbelief.' Roman said dryly.

'We're still waiting for Shane to give us answers, and I for one can't wait to hear them.' Bo said.

'How do you propose to help her get her memory back? Have her see a psychiatrist?'

'Let's first find out what caused her to lose it before we come up with a solution. In the meantime, we need a reason to keep her in Salem for a while.'

'Does Hope know about this?'

'No, not yet at least.'

'It's going to be a sticky situation Bo, you never told Hope about Carly; she's not going to be thrilled about this.'

'Carly has no memory of me or anyone here, not even Salem itself. You want me to just let her go and allow her live a lie for the rest of her life? Lord knows what Lawrence did to her to make her this way in the first place!' Bo said angrily. 'And I'm more than capable of handling my wife; even she can't think an amnesiac will be a threat to our marriage.'

'Calm down Bo... I wasn't trying to insinuate anything and if I did, I apologise. Of course Carly needs to get her real life back and I too would like to know what Shane has to say. So... she can't remember anything? Nothing at all?'

'Nothing, zilch.' Roman replied. 'And Frankie's away so we can't ask him what happened.'

Abe frowned, trying to think of possible answers. 'Lawrence Alamain's hardly low- profile; if Carly was involved in a terrible accident that caused her amnesia, it would've been reported in the news a long time ago or Frankie would've told you about it. I just don't understand all this.'

Abe's words made Bo's suspicion about Lawrence being the cause mount several notches higher.

'In the meantime,' Abe went on, 'Carly can help with the case if she wants to and if there's anything I can do to help to jog her memory; just let me know.'

'Thanks, Abe.' Bo said gratefully. 'But for now, she's _Clarice_ , not Carly.' As he spoke, Officer Davidson poked her head at the door.

'Sorry to intrude sir; but you have a video call.'

The three men hurried to Bo's office immediately.

Meanwhile, Clarice was going through the case file thoroughly at Hope's desk. Kyle Hobbes had been convicted of sex offences but outside Salem, Bo and Hope never arrested him for any crime otherwise she would have ruled his motive for kidnapping Ciara to be revenge. The woman found burnt to a crisp with him had been his sister, Brenda and she had been a local; working as a waitress in a bar in the lower part of Salem. _Hmmm... I can start from there_ , she thought, getting up.

'Excuse me, where's Commissioner Brady?' she asked a passing uniformed officer on her way out.

'He's in his office with Commander Brady; but I think they're in the middle of something important.'

'Oh.'

'Is there anything I can do for you, Ms. Parker?'

'I need a car, preferably unmarked; the Commissioner gave me authority to continue with this kidnapping case. I'm heading over the other side of town.'

'No problem ma'am, I'm sure we can get you one and if you want like one of our officers to go with you...'

'That won't be necessary, but thanks.'

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo, Roman and Abe were clustered round Bo's computer; listening closely to Shane's report.

'It took a long time tracing Carly's life before she joined the NYPD but I finally found it, through some old newspaper and police reports. Some fishermen found her washed up on the beach in some town in Italy, severely beaten and almost dead; she was in a coma for weeks. All she had with her was a key, a credit card and two passports tucked in her stocking. The police found a piece of paper in one of the passports- name and address of a Mr Emil Standish.'

'Who was he?' asked Bo, already shaking with rage at the mental image of Carly lying critically injured and helpless in some hospital.

'A lawyer. The police tracked him down in New York; apparently he's an old friend of her father's. I called him and he told me the whole story. Carly contacted him three months after she and Lawrence left Salem- Lawrence had been abusing her and she'd tried to escape him several times. She decided it was too dangerous to go back to Salem because he'd threatened to kill you and Shawn Douglas if she dared. So her other option was to go to New York and live under a new identity.'

'Clarice Parker.' Roman guessed.

'That's right, and a new identity for Nicky too; she wasn't about to leave him behind. Emil was to arrange for the necessary papers and passports for both of them and transfer her share of the money left to her and Frankie under the name Clarice Parker to various banks in the States. He registered her new name and sent her the passports and a safety deposit key.'

'What was in the safety deposit box?' asked Abe.

'Most of the paperwork she needed, plus the ones she needed to access her accounts- and a key to an apartment he'd leased on her behalf; everything to start her new life. They'd arranged to meet her and Nicky at the airport but when she didn't show, he guessed something went wrong.'

'Lawrence somehow found out what she was planning... probably caught her trying to leave with Nicky and... And attacked her.' Bo said in a tight voice.

' _Attacked_ is right Bo; broken bones and a severe head injury, the doctors weren't sure she would ever come out of the coma. Emil stayed with her the whole time and when she woke up she couldn't tell anyone who she was or what has happened to her, the doctors diagnosed severe retrograde amnesia. Emil had her go through therapy but it didn't work; the psychiatrists drove her too hard and she kept having nightmares. So Emil cancelled the therapy, told her she'd survived a terrible accident instead. Before you ask, he didn't tell her about Nicky because he was afraid she would try and get him back and end up dead for good. After she recovered, Emil took her to New York with him. A year after, she joined the NYPD, was there for five years before applying to the FBI. The rest you know.'

'Oh my God...' Bo whispered. Carly beaten up and left for dead... why, why did he let her go? He should've tried harder, convinced her to stay and mend their relationship; instead he had given her up to that monster who wasn't fit to be around decent women!

'Thanks a lot Shane, you have no idea how we appreciate this.' he said at last.

'No problem. What are you going to do about her now? I asked around and she's been a valuable asset to the agency.'

'Maybe but she needs to remember who she is and get her life back, her real life. Is there anything else you haven't told us?'

'Umm, yes- Emil contacted Frankie after he brought her to New York but explained it was best he didn't have contact with her in case Lawrence found out she was still alive. Frankie wasn't happy about it but he went along with it and had Emil keep an eye on her the whole time... let him know she was okay and everything.'

'But why didn't he ever tell me about this?' Bo cried, furiously. 'The last time he was here, he didn't say a word... how could he keep it to himself? I had the right to know what happened to Carly!'

Shane looked uncomfortable. 'Well, the thing is... according to Emil; Frankie blames you for what happened to Carly. He felt if you hadn't let Lawrence take her away, she wouldn't have suffered all that time or be in her present situation... he was very bitter about it...'

'That's ridiculous!' Abe exclaimed incredulously. 'How can Frankie think that about Bo?'

Bo pressed his hand against his face. Frankie was within his rights to blame him because it was true... he had let her go, without much of a struggle... without making an effort!

'Frankie can't mean it, Bo didn't want to let her go but Lawrence confused her...' Roman protested.

'Just stop, Roman.' Bo's voice was quiet. 'We can argue about this till we're blue in the face. The only thing now is help Clarice become Carly again, I owe her that much.' His face was emotional but resolute. 'And I know just how to keep her here for a long time.'

:::::::::

'Can I help you, ma'am?' the young bartender behind the counter asked, eyeing Clarice appreciatively. Clarice held up her still valid FBI badge which served as her official cover identity and his smile faded somewhat.

'I'm Special Agent Clarice Parker, FBI. I'm investigating one the waitresses who used to work here, Brenda Hobbes.'

'This morning paper said she was killed in a fire.' The young man said warily.

'Yes. Brenda was involved in the kidnapping of a little girl and we're still looking into it. When she was here, did she have anyone come round her to visit her?'

'Alan, that's the owner of this place, doesn't like the waitresses having visitors; they won't get on with their work, see. But there was a guy who started coming round here some months ago, would chat with her right here on the sly.'

'You ever caught his name?'

'Kyle. She told me he was her brother when I teased her about playing the field.'

'Playing the field?'

'Yeah... she already had a boyfriend... I saw him once when I dropped by her place to return her mp3 player.'

'Do you remember how he looked like... or his name?

'No...' he shook his head apologetically. 'I didn't get a good look at him; I gave her the player at the door.'

Disappointed, Clarice nodded. 'Thanks for your time.'

'I'm sorry I couldn't help you more, ma'am. Would you like a drink on the house?'

Clarice smiled, shaking her head. 'Not on duty but thank you.'

She turned to go but then the bartender stopped her. 'Hang on, Agent Parker. I just remembered... the guy was a cop.'

'A cop?' Clarice asked in surprise. 'Are you sure?'

'He was in uniform, yeah. He lifted his arm to light a cigarette and I saw Salem PD's crest up his sleeve. His Zippo lighter wouldn't go on; he kept opening and shutting it... I couldn't stand that damned noise.'

'Thanks again.'

Brenda involved with a police officer... It proved her theory; the third captor was someone Ciara had seen before... one of Bo's men. What will he, Roman and Hope say about this? How will they even begin to fish the culprit out?

As she walked to the car, she went over what Ciara had told her... she'd heard nothing but a clicking sound the whole time. Hang on...

 _He lifted his arm to light a cigarette and I saw Salem PD's crest up his sleeve. His Zippo lighter wouldn't go on; he kept opening and shutting it... I couldn't stand that damned noise..._

 _A lighter? What that what Ciara heard?_ Clarice got into the car, thinking hard, going over it all. A weird clicking sound...

She stopped cold, gripping the steering wheel.

 _She'd found him outside Abe's door, lighting a cigarette, not with a match but a lighter, and opening and shutting it rapidly; click, click, click..._

 _He'd gone to the kidnapper's hideout without telling Bo... because he had wanted to get there before his accomplices could finger him... he killed them and set the place on fire after realising Ciara had escaped._

'Dean Hartman!' she exclaimed, her head spinning in shock. _He was the third kidnapper!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

'She didn't tell you where she was going?' Bo asked Officer Davis who quailed at his harsh tone. Bo's men feared him as much as they loved and respected him and always did all they could to avoid getting on his bad side; he had a terrible temper.

'Just that she needed a car because she was going to the other end of town, sir. That's all I know. I offered her one of the men to go with her but she said no.'

'Protocol Davis, Protocol... no one goes out on a case _alone!_ You should've insisted!' Bo shouted, really angry.

'Bo...' Roman began then stopped. Chastising the Commissioner, even if he was his younger brother, in front of the subordinates was simply not done. Bo's present mood was obviously because of what they'd gotten from Shane and he'd taken what had happened to Carly deeply to heart.

'That will be all, Davis.' Abe said frowning at Bo as Davis retreated gratefully. 'Was that necessary, Bo?'

'What if something's happened to her again...'

'She's a trained agent with long experience in law enforcement; she can take care of herself! She'll soon be back.'

But Bo knew he won't rest easy until he saw her again. Shane's words had ripped his heart; _severely beaten and almost dead... in a coma for weeks...severe retrograde amnesia..._

 _'_ It's my fault... everything she went through... my fault.' he said numbly.

'Frankie's full of shit.' Roman said in his usual blunt manner. 'You weren't the one who beat her senseless and left her out there to die. You couldn't have known he would treat her that way after they left...'

'I knew what kind of man Larry was!' Bo growled. 'He brainwashed her the whole time I was out of town working on that drug case. I should have arrested him, shot him even! Anything to gain more time to get my Carly back... get back what we had!' A relationship between equals because Carly had taken care of him as much as he took care of her.

'Bo.' Abe said, squeezing his shoulder. 'No matter what Frankie thinks, what happened to Carly wasn't your fault. And once Carly gets her memory back, she'll say the same, you'll see.'

'Yeah Bo.' Roman agreed. 'Carly will never blame you for what happened. She wouldn't have gone with Alamain in the first place if Vivian hadn't buried her alive and scrambled her brain with whatever crap she drugged her with... she loved you.'

And he had loved her more than life itself, which is why despite Abe and Roman's words he still couldn't help but feel he had failed her greatly. And the sheer quirk of fate... within hours of returning to Salem, she'd rescued his daughter and right now going out of her way to help him. Whatever it took... he was going to help her in turn.

::::::::::::::

The car she'd borrowed had no radio and to add to her frustration, there was no signal in her cell.

'Damn it!' Clarice swore savagely. Dean was out there roaming as free as a bird... he could be plotting to abduct Ciara again or worse!

Sitting back in the driver's seat, Clarice brushed back some strands of hair from her forehead and went into profiler mode; picturing the scenario through Dean's eyes.

 _The investigation's still going on but no one suspects me; no one ever saw me with Brenda so they can't link her to me or Kyle. Ciara will be heavily guarded so it won't be easy grabbing her this time, with both my allies dead. I'll have to bid my time._

Dean didn't know about the clicking sound Ciara and the bartender had heard or that it has been identified as his lighter. Unless he was stupid enough to use it anywhere near Ciara, they had the element of surprise; they could nab him before he could blink and case closed!

Clarice reached for the ignition but another thought stilled her hand. Dean had killed his own lover to avoid arrest, hence a very ruthless, cold blooded man. For a police officer to do such a thing, the purpose for kidnapping Ciara in the first place couldn't have been money alone... a grudge against Bo maybe? It was common... an evil mind nursing a grudge or cold rage always wore the mask of morality, planning his strategy carefully for months. Who would suspect a police officer of kidnap and murder?

He wouldn't have released Ciara even if he'd gotten his money, Clarice realised. He would've killed her and then killed Kyle and Brenda... making it look like self defence; no one would think he had anything to with it, he would be proclaimed a hero all the while laughing at them behind their backs. Bo had run a great risk but he'd definitely done the right thing _not paying the ransom!_

Dean will be planning his strategy all over again. And for the second time, his plan will come to nothing. With that pleasing thought, Clarice turned the ignition key only to hear a click. She tried again but the engine didn't go on.

'Oh no...' She groaned.

::::::::::::::::::

Bo was surprised and not at all pleased to find Dean Hartman in his house in deep conversation with Hope.

'Sir.' Dean greeted respectfully, a wary look on his face.

'Dean. What are you doing here?'

'I asked him over.' Hope said purposefully. 'I was just telling him I've arranged to have the money wired into his account today.'

Dean prided himself at being so clever enough at hiding his glee at the furious look on Bo's face; Bo and Hope were at each other's throats. Far better than he'd planned to happen between them.

'Dean, I need to set you straight.' Bo said as calmly as he could. 'You should know that department rules state an officer on duty isn't eligible for monetary rewards.'

 _Says you_ ; Dean thought contemptuously. He looked at Hope with mute appeal.

'Bo, let's not keep arguing about this, I already told you I was going to give it to Dean.'

'Hope, you already know very well...'

'I know what I want and that's to do the right thing.'

'Look, if this is causing trouble between you two, maybe it's best we cancel the whole thing' Dean said , looking embarrassed, inwardly struggling not to laugh.

'No Dean, you're going to have your money.' Hope said purposefully. 'I've already called my lawyer, end of discussion.'

 _Christ, she was impossible!_

 _Carly wouldn't treat you like this._ The voice in his head pointed out. _Never._

 _Oh, shut up!_

'Dean, if you don't mind, my wife and I need to have a private discussion.' Bo said, his eyes not leaving her.

'Dean, stay... we're not done.' Hope replied, glaring back at Bo.

'Listen, how about I come back later; I don't want to get in the middle of... whatever going on with you two. See you later, sir.' Dean made a hasty retreat.

'Just what do you want?' he overheard Bo shout, 'a damn apology?'

'I'm not holding my breath for one, Brady.'

'Then what is it? You're mad at me because I don't think I made a mistake, well guess what lady... I didn't! No matter what you, or Justin or even my father thinks; I knew what I was doing when I didn't let you pay the ransom!'

'Yeah... keep telling yourself that, Commissioner!' Hope shouted back. 'You're so full of yourself that it's way too much for you to actually admit that you're capable of mistakes!'

 _Oh Lord, it can't get better than this..._ Dean grinned, longing to dance a jig. They got their brat back but their marriage was falling apart; Hope wasn't getting her happy ending after all. Serves her right.

He dived for cover as Bo came out, slamming the door behind him; his expression that of frustration and anger. From his hiding place, Dean watched Bo as he pulled out his cell and dialled. 'Brady here.' He heard him say. 'Is Clarice... I mean, Ms. Parker back yet? No? She hasn't called in?' a pause and Bo's frown deepened. 'Have her call me the soonest she gets in. Better still... tell her to meet me at _The Java_. Thanks.'

'Where the hell is she?' he muttered out loud as he hung up and walked down the street.

Well, well... Dean thought to himself. Bo sure sounded very concerned about the beautiful ISA agent ; with the strain going on between him and Hope, this looked like the beginning of a very interesting triangle. Too bad he was leaving town, it would've been so interesting to see Hope squirm with humiliation at the sight of her husband with another woman; personally he would choose Clarice too, those bright green eyes of hers and everything about her radiated pure sensuality. Sighing, he shrugged. There would be more than enough girls in Acapulco after all.

::::::::::::::

Much as he didn't want to compare Carly with his wife, Bo found himself doing just that as he mulled over his coffee. Carly had been more stubborn than Hope and so independent, considering she was of blue-blood and had lived in a world far different from his. On the rare times they'd fought she was usually the first to make amends. He could still remember how he'd returned to the boat one night after storming out and found her waiting up for him; she'd flung her arms round his neck, tearfully apologising and saying how much she loved him. Carly never judged him, never put him down... most times she defended him. True, she'd had the annoying habit of hiding things from him but there had always been a good reason behind them, he reminded himself. They'd loved the same things, wanted the same things; he remembered her once saying the best thing that could happen to a woman was having a child with the man she loved.

 _'_ _I can't think of anything more incredible than that.'_

 _'_ _And this from a woman who doesn't want kids.' He teased._

 _Carly made a wry face. 'I don't want six.' She stressed, making him chuckle. 'I think that's a little more than I can handle. I don't know... maybe three?'_

 _'_ _Give me four and I'll change all the diapers.' He promised._

 _'_ _Right... sure you will!' She laughed in turn, taking his hand between to press it against her cheek. ' I don't really care how many we have, so long as we do. I want to be able to carry your baby in my arms and watch him grow to be as wonderful as his Papa.'_

 _His thumb stroked her cheek . 'You will. You're going to be a wonderful Mum... I just know you will.'_

 _'_ _I hope so!' Carly said, a wistful look in those lovely green eyes. 'Because you're a great Papa. It's the one of the things that attracted me most about you.'_

 _'_ _Oh yeah?' He was flattered and touched by the admission. ' I thought being a father was usually a turn off for women.'_

 _'_ _Not with this one.' She smiled wider, still holding his hand. 'Ever since I can remember I always wanted to have lots of babies.'_

 _'_ _Well, you will have them... a whole bunch of Nobel Prize winning doctors.'_

 _'_ _Yeah and maybe a few leather wearing, motorcycle riding...'_

 _'_ _Oh, come here you!' Laughing, he pulled her closer towards him and she nestled in his arms. Pressing his lips against her hair, he said softly, 'I want you to know something, princess. You and I are going to have everything we want.'_

She'd been his princess, the princess of his heart... who was now living as someone else because of him. Bo sighed and shook his head; for the first time in years thinking of what could have been, if Carly had been the mother of his three other children... especially Zack.

::::::::::::::::

Meanwhile, Clarice, after kicking a front wheel of the car in disgust, went back to the bar for help.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Bo vowed to call a family meeting very soon to inform everyone- minus Hope-about how Carly had lost her memory and on how to behave around her from now on; the main thing being not asking her questions that would definitely confuse her. And he needed to talk very seriously with Victor too; there was no telling what his bio-father might do to endanger her life. As far as Victor Kiriakis was concerned, Carly had treated him very badly, not the other way round and even after all these years he still hated her, from the way he'd addressed her as 'that woman.' What an asshole.

His mind drifted back to Hope. Roman was right, they do need some time away to reconnect, maybe they could go sailing and do some fishing... surely that would soften her up and things will be back to the way they were before Ciara was kidnapped. Time and time again their marriage had been in turmoil but their love always amended it and made it stronger. A trip will definitely do them loads of good, including getting Hope away from someone who's been irritating him very much lately. And as if his thoughts had conjured him up, his cousin Justin Kiriakis entered the cafe and seeing him immediately, walked up to his table.

'Hi Bo. What are you doing here?'

'What's it to you?' Bo said very rudely, glaring at him.

Justin frowned in return. 'What's with the attitude?'

'Listen you and listen good.' Bo burst out, incensed at Justin's bewildered tone, the way Victor sounded even though he knew very well what the other person was driving at. 'Just because your wife threw you out doesn't give you the right to move in on mine.'

'Now hold on now...' Justin denied, face red with anger. 'All I did was support her in her time of need! Hope's my friend and I can't deny her if she needs help. Why are you so bent out of shape for?'

'WHY COULD'NT YOU JUST LEAVE IT ALONE?' Bo spat. 'How dare you interfere with something that wasn't your business; I told Hope why she couldn't pay that ransom but you just had to convince it otherwise. You have no right!'

Justin snorted, not the least bit ruffled by Bo's anger. 'I got the right to state my opinion and I was right; things almost went wrong that night because of your stance about the ransom, not because of Dean after all. It was a hell of a risk...'

Bo got up to face him, his expression hard and ominous. 'I'm warning you, Justin.'

Justin refused to back down, he wasn't scared of Bo; besides the Commissioner of Police can't be seen beating someone up in public. 'Whether you think so or not, you screwed up but thanks to Carly things ended well. By the way, how long is she going to be in town? '

'Her name's _Clarice_ and she's none of your concern. Push me any further and you'll definitely be sorry.' Bo growled, one hand balled into a fist.

Justin shrugged nonchalantly. 'Whatever. But by being there for _your wife,_ I didn't do anything wrong. Maybe she wouldn't be so ticked off with you if you'd supported her more when she was so scared her daughter might get killed.'

'Go to Hell.'

'Suit yourself, Bo. I'm only giving you a piece of valuable advice.' With that he turned and left. Just as well, because Bo was a few bars short of his self control. Sitting down again, Bo pulled out a photo from his wallet; staring down at it. He Hope, Ciara and Shawn Douglas.

 _Maybe she wouldn't be so ticked off with you if you'd supported her more..._

' Exactly what have I been doing all these years, Fancy Face?' He said sadly, tracing her features with his thumb. 'Just what?'

:::::::::::::::::::

'Nothing much wrong with it Ma'am, the engine just flooded a bit.' The mechanic the bartender had summoned said as he slammed the hood shut.

'Thanks much.' Clarice pushed some crumpled notes into his hand, got in and drove off, impatient to give her report to Bo and Roman. Pulling out her cell again, she glanced at the display. She didn't get any signal until she was half way across town.

'Finally!' She dialled the station after slipping a wireless earpiece on her ear. 'I need to speak with either Commissioner or Commander Brady, it's very important.

'Neither of them are here, Ms. Parker and by the way, the Commissioner said you should meet him at The Java soon as you get back.' The dispatcher gave her the address.

'Right... thanks for the information... no wait, give me his number... his home number too. ' Clarice placed her foot on the pedal, thinking hard. What should she do; call Bo and warn him or meet him there? Hope needed to be told too, so she'd be on her guard. Picking up the phone she dialled, placing it back on the passenger seat as it began to ring. Soon she heard Hope's voice. 'Hope Brady.'

'Hope, it's Clarice. Listen... Dean Hartman is the third guy.'

'What?' Hope said, her tone incredulous.

'He's been playing everyone for a fool... I'm half way across town, please call Bo or Roman and tell...'

'Did Bo put you up to this?'

'What?' Clarice exclaimed. 'What are you talking about; I'm telling you Dean is a criminal...'

'First Bo, now you; it's nobody's business what I do with my money! What proof do you have against him anyway within one day?'

Was this woman crazy? What money?

'Hope, time's running out! Call Bo so that he gets hold of Dean before he skips town and for God sake don't let him anywhere near Ciara.'

'Agent Parker; Dean' s beyond approach and he's getting the reward in spite of any self- righteous sob story Bo must have fed you, got that?'

' _You're giving him the reward?_ ' Clarice gasped. 'Are you insane, you can't do that, Dean planned the whole thing with Brenda and Kyle, he was her...'

 _Click,_ the line went dead.

' _Fool! Stupid, stupid fool!_ ' Clarice slammed her hands on the wheel, enraged. She must have wired the money to Dean's account already and he might be heading to the airport... he had to be stopped before it was too late! Picking up the phone once again she dialled Bo's number with shaking fingers.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

At the Java, Bo ordered another cup of coffee, very worried about Clarice. She should have called in by now, he thought, looking at his watch. But then again, he smiled faintly, this won't be the first time she would give him the slip; like the time in México so long ago when she'd taken a walk on the beach instead of staying hidden as instructed and he'd gone after her...

 _'_ _You're stubborn, you're obstinate, you're pig-headed!' he shouted at her._

 _Carly glared at him._

 _'_ _You're damn too independent for your own good and most guys can't take that. Obviously there's something wrong with me.' Softening, he smiled at her, touching her cheek. 'I like that challenge. Come on... I love you.'_

 _Sighing, she shook her head. 'What, what's wrong?'_

 _'_ _Nothing.' she replied, shifting restlessly._

 _'_ _Carly, I just told you that I love you; I like you the way you are and you're still angry with me?'_

 _'_ _I'm not angry!' Carly snapped, eyes flashing._

 _'_ _Yeah... you sure could've fooled me!'_

 _'_ _Well I wish I can fool myself but I can't anymore.' To his distress, she looked ready to cry. 'I'm scared, I'm scared to death!'_

 _Bo took her in his arms, consoling her. Carly hardly showed any fear; the last time was when he was stricken with the virus, she'd been terrified of losing him forever._

 _'_ _Listen... it's okay to be scared.' He said soothingly. 'Hell I'm scared too.' Pulling away he saw she was now smiling faintly._

 _'_ _You've never been scared of anything... or anyone.' She said softly._

Bo chuckled, shaking his head.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Where's Commissioner Brady?' Dean asked as Hope closed the door behind him.

'He stepped out. Look... I'm so sorry about earlier, that you had to see that.' she apologised.

'No, it's okay; couples have tiffs now and then. But I sure hope it wasn't about me.'

'No!' Hope protested, shaking her head firmly. 'It has nothing to do with you. And I got some good news, the money has been transferred into your account.'

'Thank you Hope, I really appreciate this.'

'Not at all; you need to take some time off anyway.'

'Actually,' Dean shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, 'With everyone giving me grief at the station, I'm not sure if I'll come back. I know I screwed up but I really wanted to help you guys.'

'And you did, as best as you could. It wasn't your fault and my daughter's safe.' Hope assured him as Ciara came into the room.

'Hi Dean.' She greeted, smiling.

'Hey kiddo. Good to be back home, eh?' he ruffled her hair. A cold chill went through Ciara's body. His touch was eerily familiar.

'Yeah.' She nodded, trying not to flinch.

'Well, you know what they say...' Dean said as Hope moved to the phone that began to ring again, pulling something from his pocket, 'Home's really where the heart is.' Slipping a cigarette in his mouth, he fumbled with his stubborn Zippo lighter. 'Man, I got to get me a new lighter...'

Ciara stared at him, feeling her heart beat with terror at the sound coming from the lighter; _Click, Click, Click... The sound she'd heard at the cabin!_

Dean tried to get the faulty lighter to work, not noticing the look on the child's face.

'No Aunt Maggie...' Hope glanced at him and frowned. 'Dean, I'd rather you don't light that in here.'

'Oh sorry.' Dean pocketed it, inwardly cursing her. _This is the last day you'll be telling me what to do,_ he thought. Picking up a magazine from the coffee table, he flipped through the pages without much interest. With shaking legs, Ciara edged close to her mother, tugging at her jeans leg.

'Hmm...?' Hope looked down inquiringly. ' Mummy's on the phone right now.'

Ciara tugged harder, turning to look at Dean who wasn't paying any attention to her.

'Aunt Maggie, I'll call you back.' Hanging up the phone, Hope picked her up. 'Now what is it, sweetie? Aren't you feeling okay?'

' _Him_...' Ciara's voice shook but she kept it low enough for Hope's ears alone. 'Mummy, he's one of them...'

Hope stared into her daughter's eyes; wide eyed with terror, her own hands shaking. After all that time in captivity at the cabin, Ciara couldn't be mistaken; she's always been observant and oh God... Clarice Parker had warned her... what in heaven's name was she going to do now?

Dean dropped the magazine with a sigh then noticed their scrutiny before they could mask it. 'Is something wrong, Hope?' he asked.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Bo's phone rang as he was leaving _The Java_. 'Clarice? ' He asked, thinking it was Carly, really to yell at her for causing a lot of anxiety.

'Bo, come over; we need to talk.'

Bo sighed, exasperated. He was in no mood to deal with Victor right now. 'I'm not interested in whatever you want to spill out at me...'

'Considering you obviously thought it was that woman calling you, more than ever I need to talk you.'

'I don't take orders from you, so why don't you kiss my...'

'Fine, I'll just let Hope know what you're hiding, she'll certainly thank me for it.' Was Victor's icy reply.

Bo gritted his teeth in fury, cursing under his breath. 'I'm on my way.' Snapping his phone shut, he hailed a passing cab.

At the same moment Clarice was dialling his number, almost screaming in despair when she kept getting the engaged tone. _What do I do now?_ She thought frantically. She called the station again. 'Is Commander Brady there?' she demanded.

'No, he's still out with Detective Hernandez on a case...'

'What about Officer Hartman? Is he at the station, can I speak with him?'

'No, he left...'

Clarice swiftly interrupted. 'Listen carefully; Officer Dean Hartman was involved in Ciara's kidnap; I repeat, Officer Dean Hartman was involved in Ciara's kidnap. He's already killed two people so he should be considered armed and dangerous! Put out an APB him right now before he can escape!'

'Ms. Parker...'

'Don't argue with me!' Clarice shouted harshly. 'I can't get a hold of the Commissioner so find a way of calling him or Roman and give them this message! I'm a Federal Agent assigned to this case; I'm authorising you to put out the APB on Hartman... I'll take responsibility for it, just do it!'

'Yes Ma'am, right away!' the dispatcher said, sounding harried.

'Wait!' Hope needed to be told and if she had to shake some sense on that silly woman she would. 'What's the Commissioner's address?'

'Uh... it's... it's 526 Scuttlehoe Road. '

'Okay, do what I asked you to do. I'm going there and I'll call if I need back up.'

Clarice put her foot down hard, speeding to Bo's house.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hope set Ciara's down, her heart beating fast. They were completely vulnerable; her service pistol was in her purse... on the bed upstairs. How was she going to overpower him without exposing Ciara to danger?

'Nothing wrong. I just realised that we have to go to the bank after all.'

Dean's eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'Why? You just told me the money's been transferred to my account already.'

'I know, but I just remembered there's a few documents we both need to sign; 5 million is a lot of money you know.'

Dean was not an idiot. With the way the kid was avoiding his eyes, she was suspecting, no... was already on to him. How she figured him out he had no idea but he wasn't going to waste time pondering over that. Just as well, his revenge wasn't over.

'Let me just go up and grab my purse...' she turned towards the stairs with Ciara at her heels but froze as she heard Dean's cold voice. 'I don't think so, Detective Brady.'

Holding her daughter close to her, she turned to see a gun armed at them. 'Come back,' Dean's eyes flashed, 'and sit on the couch, nice and slow.'

She obeyed, Ciara clinging to her tightly. 'Why did you do this?' she demanded, trying to keep her voice from shaking. 'You're one of our best officers; we trusted you... I defended you all this time, how could you?'

'If you're trying to make me feel guilty and all, it ain't working.' He sneered, keeping the gun on both of them. 'Why? Why? I wanted the money and I almost didn't get it, thanks to your husband. But more important... I've always hated you Hope Brady! Spoiled rich girl who should've stayed at home and arrange furniture instead of stealing jobs you didn't deserve... that detective promotion was mine!'

'This is what it was all about? You wanted to _punish_ me?' Hope gasped incredulously.

'Yeah. And now I'm not going to leave until I get rid of the thorn in my flesh.' Dean said grimly. 'I've been waiting a long time to pin you down...'

He flinched as there was a pounding on the door. Ciara's heart leaped at the sound of Clarice's voice. 'Hope! Open up, I need to talk to you.'

Hope glanced at Dean, wondering whether or not to jump at him.

'Don't even think about it.' He said in a low voice. 'Get rid of her or your kid's going to get it.' He moved to hide behind the door, gun pointed at Ciara's direction.

Hope got up, squeezing Ciara's hand reassuringly, praying that Clarice was armed.

She opened the door slowly but didn't bargain on Clarice pushing her backward angrily. 'You! What the hell was that earlier?' she snapped, entering the living room, glaring at Hope. 'I was warning you about...'

'Clarice, he has a gun!' Ciara shrieked suddenly.

Clarice spun round and Dean shot her.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'You're obviously not over that woman so why don't you stop denying it?' Victor raged. 'And if you're not careful, she's going to ruin your marriage!'

'You sure seem to think that everybody's just like you.' Bo snapped angrily. 'And for the last time, back off! I already told you she has no idea she once had a life here...'

'Yeah right.' Victor sneered. 'She's even better than Billie who came back here all saintly and look at what she did to you.'

'Look who's talking ... you married her Mum, remember?'

'Story of my life; I married a string of two faced bitches; including your so called Clarice...'

Bo suddenly flinched, a strange sensation rushing through him. He hardly heard the rest of Victor's spiteful words; he'd had that feeling before, when?

 _When Carly had flat lined while Marcus and Dr. Horton were operating on her..._

'Are you listening to me, Bo?' Victor barked at him, baffled at the look on his son's face.

Before Bo could speak, his cell rang. Not bothering to answer Victor, he pulled it out of his pocket. 'Brady.'

'Sir, thank God I got hold of you!' The dispatcher said frantically, relaying Clarice's message. Bo stood still, shocked. _One of his own men?_ 'Have you told Commander Brady about this?' he barked.

'Yes! He's already sent men to the airport and the bus and train station.'

'Where's Agent Parker?'

'She said she was going over to your house.'

'Send back up over there now! I'm on my way!' he hung up, filled with foreboding.

'Agent... Parker?' Victor asked, stunned. 'What the hell..?'

Justin choose that tense moment to appear. 'What's going on?'

'You give me your keys.. now!' Bo shouted, his voice and tone brooking no argument as he grabbed the lapels of Justin's jacket.

Bewildered, Justin produced them and Bo fled; leaving Victor trying to get over how Bo had addressed Carly.

:::::::::::::::::

'One bitch less.' Dean remarked, using one foot to nudge Clarice's cheek.

'You're definitely going to prison; you've just killed an ISA agent, you son of a bitch!' Hope shouted, trying to comfort Ciara who was crying loudly. 'My husband won't rest until...'

'Shut the hell up!' Dean snapped. 'We're going for a ride now Detective, you and your brat.'

'You've got your money, you don't need us; just walk away!' Hope pleaded.

'No way. I've gone too far to back out now. You just come with me, nice and slow...'

'CIARA RUN!' Hope lurched at him, trying to wrest the gun from his hands. Ciara ran to the door but Dean, punching her on the jaw; grabbed the child by her hair before she could get the door open. Enraged, Hope darted at him again and in the struggle, the gun flew over the couch. Hope was knocked unconscious by another vicious blow. Dean cursed loudly as he felt teeth sinking on his left leg and turned, backslapping the child. 'You little brat... you're going to pay for that!' he growled, pulling out a switchblade as Ciara cowered to a corner, a vivid pink bruise on her cheek.

'Hold it right there, Hartman.'

Dean sharply turned to find himself suddenly facing a deadly looking semi automatic Smith & Wesson. He cursed. He should have remembered that international spies were always full of tricks.

'If you lay another hand on that child, _I swear to God_ I'll kill you.' Clarice hissed, glaring at him, despite the fact she was bleeding from her gunshot wound, the bullet had gotten her on the left side, just below her rib cage but she held herself firmly. 'Drop the knife and back away from her… I'm a crack shot so no tricks!' Dean obeyed, watching Clarice warily as Ciara got up and ran to her mother. 'This got nothing to do with you, Agent Parker.'

'Murder... kidnap... you're an utter disgrace to your uniform.'

'She took what was rightfully mine!' he spat. 'You have no idea...'

'Nothing justifies you terrorizing an innocent little girl; causing her parents pain and worry!' She hurled back at him.

Hope was already coming to. She blinked and hugged her daughter joyfully, looking up. 'Clarice, you're alive...' she began.

'Hope, I need a pair of... oh no you don't!' she darted after Dean as he suddenly opened the door and made a run for it; desperately gambling she wouldn't be able to aim straight nor catch up with him while in great pain. But Clarice wasn't kidding when she told him she was a crack shot. She fired, hitting him on the shoulder and leg and he went down hard on the pavement, screaming in agony. At that moment, the sound of sirens could be heard and several cars appeared.

'Clarice, are you alright?' she heard Hope cry. She tried to answer but couldn't, her vision was suddenly blurry, her strength ebbing.

'Clarice! She's wounded, call an ambulance now!' someone ordered. Dizzy and faint, Clarice fell but instead of the hard ground, into a pair of strong arms.

'Daddy...'

'Move back right now, sweetheart...'

'Is she dead?'

'Hope!'

'Come here, Ciara.'

'Is she dead?' a sobbing, trembling voice. 'Don't let her die, please!'

'Come away...'

The sound of someone's angry screams, Dean's. Clarice felt a warm hand stroking her forehead and hair. It was so soothing... she wanted the person doing it to keep going.

'Hang in there... the ambulance's on its way; don't you crash out on me now...' a soft voice in her ear. 'Come on Clarice...'

 _Bo... he sounds so worried, poor thing_ ; she thought dreamily, opening her eyes to peer at him. He was looking down at her, out of those beautiful, brown eyes. But... he looks different... younger. He was weeping and his voice sounded like it was coming from far away. _Come on, princess, come on... hang in there baby... please Carly open your eyes for me..._

 _I'm not Carly... I'm Clarice;_ she wanted to say then finally succumbed to oblivion.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Roman laid a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, squeezing it. 'She's going to be alright Bo, you must believe that.' he said for the umpteenth time in a low voice, as Hope was several yards away along with the rest of the family, including Victor and Justin who were summoned after Clarice was wheeled into surgery. Ciara was seated on Hope's lap, holding on to her mother for dear life; the episode at the house had truly traumatized her. Stabbed, trapped in an elevator, buried alive, and almost beaten to death and now _shot._.. all because she was trying to help him. He was personally going to kill Dean Hartman with his bare hands for this; he sincerely hoped Clarice had crippled him for life!

Clarice… Carly. She didn't remember her past with him yet within hours of coming back into his life she saved Hope and Ciara and single-handedly caught the mastermind behind the kidnap. Bo shook his head, still dazed at the chain of events. The kidnapper had been right under their noses the whole time; a vicious, disgruntled man under the guise of a loyal, dedicated officer. And Carly… she did what she always did when they were still together; she'd been there for him in the true sense of the words. It was simply just too overwhelming.

Abe was right now on the phone trying to get in touch with the Director of Salem's ISA. Roman had called Shane earlier; Carly's heroic deed was going to earn her a lot of commendations and further seal her stay in Salem now.

'Grandma… what are you doing here?' Bo heard Hope say and turned round. Alice Horton was on her son's arm, her expression anxious.

'Mickey told me what happened, are you alright darling?' she asked, touching Hope's face and leaning over to kiss Ciara, nodding and smiling at everyone.

'We're fine, Gram, really. You didn't have to come all the way here.' Hope protested but glad to see her.

'Nonsense, Hope. I had to see for myself that you and Ciara are alright… I still can't believe such a thing happened in your home… Bo…' letting go of Mickey, she turned to him, drawing him aside from the others, beckoning to Roman who immediately joined them. 'Is it true… that the agent who saved Hope and Ciara is Carly?'

'Yeah, Mrs. H. And Mickey probably told you that she has severe amnesia. She has no memory of us, or of ever living here.'

'Help me understand this… I thought she regained her memory before she left with Lawrence and Nicky.'

Bo cringed at the memory; more than ever blaming himself. 'She did. But everything went wrong after they left town. Larry physically abused her; he doesn't even know she's alive.'

'What?' Alice whispered. 'How can this be, how do you know?'

'We got the whole story from Shane.' Roman replied. 'And it's really a long story, Alice.'

'However long, I want to hear it. You'll both tell me everything later, leave nothing out.' Was Alice's firm answer. 'Is Carly badly hurt?'

'We don't know how bad, she's in surgery. Why don't you left Mickey drive you home, we'll let you know...'

Alice shook her snow-white head. 'Don't even bother, Bo. Carly was like a daughter to me before and after you got together and after what she did today; more than ever. I want to see her after her surgery. I will wait with the rest of you here.'

Both men knew better than to argue. Instead, Bo took her arm and sat her between Hope and Caroline. Stroking Ciara's hair, he touched Hope's cheek. 'Hey, how are you holding up?' he asked softly. Hope merely nodded, not meeting his eyes.

'Daddy, is Clarice going to be okay?' Ciara asked anxiously.

'She's going to be fine, little one. The hospital has the best doctors who are going to help her get better. Don't worry about her.' he kissed her forehead and resumed pacing again. Carly, please... please be okay... he said silently.

 _'_ _Carly, is everything okay?' he shouted as the elevator made a strange noise. His blood ran cold as she let out a scream of terror and the elevator went down with a shuddering crash._

 _'_ _Carly! Carly!' he shouted, terrified, punching the buttons. Nothing. Forcing the doors open, he climbed down the dark shaft, stumbling to where she lay, pushing back the rubble covering her. 'I'm here, princess, don't you worry... I'm going to get you out of here.' Finally getting to her, he wanted to weep out loud. She was bleeding from the mouth, blood on her neck and the front of her dress. If she was dead, he might as well kill himself right now. This cannot be happening again, not again... he was not going to lose another love, not now that he was so happy again!_

 _He touched her neck, finding a weak pulse to his great relief. Carly, come on talk to me...' he pleaded. No response._

 _'_ _We'll get you out of here real soon... Come on, princess, come on... hang in there baby... please Carly open your eyes for me...' he held her head, tears pouring down his cheeks._ _'_ _Come on baby, talk to me.' His head leaped as her eyelids fluttered and half opened. 'There you are...' he stroked back her hair. 'No... Don't...' he begged as they slowly closed again. 'Carly, stay with me!'_

 _'_ _Bo!' a voice from above shouted. 'Are you alright?'_

 _'_ _Get down here quick!' he shouted back furiously. 'Carly needs help!'_

 _'_ _The paramedics are here!'_

 _'_ _Well, make it fast! She's dying!'_

'Bo... Bo.' Bo spun round to face Dr. Lexie Carver and Dr. Bobby Scavo, everyone out of their seats, their expressions harried. 'Well?' he demanded.

'The bullet got near her left kidney and pierced a loop of her small intestine. We stitched it as well as the exit wounds, Dean shot her twice. She lost a lot of blood of course so she's going to suffer some discomfort for a while.'

'But she's okay, right?' Bo asked, gripping Lexie's arm.

'Yes, she is. And very lucky.'

'Oh thank God...' Caroline sobbed, hugging Bo who blinked back his own tears. Roman hugged Hope who was sobbing as well. Abe smiled.

'When can we see her?' asked Sami.

'She's been moved to Recovery now but you'll all have to come back tomorrow to see her. We can only allow her one visitor right now.'

'I'll go.' Bo said immediately.

'Fine but only five minutes because she's in a lot of pain. Come on.'

Hope bit her lip, wondering if Clarice will tell Bo about her foolishness; she felt so stupid and confused right now. Victor watched Bo as he walked away with the two doctors, his eyes narrowed. Justin had told him about her new occupation... an FBI agent; he was still reeling from the shock. And with what she just did for the family, he didn't know what to think of her for now.

Clarice looked pale and fragile in the hospital bed, her chestnut hair fanned across the pillows and breathing shallowly through the respirator under her nose; her arm hooked to an IV unit. Bo moved over to the bed and sank on the chair beside it, his lips quivering as he reached out to take her hand, remembering another time he'd seen her like this. Her body had taken the severe injuries meant for him, including internal bleeding and her lung pierced by a dislodged bone. She'd almost died...

 _After the stabbing at the lighthouse, he never thought he would see Carly on a hospital bed again. The last time had been heartrending enough; he knew he loved her yet so terrified of loving her; not wanting to experience the terrible heartache and sense of loss he'd felt when he lost Hope. Now it was much worse... she'd walked into a trap meant for him and Victor was definitely going to pay for it. Marcus and Dr. Horton have done their best; the real healing process was up to God._

 _He smiled down at her, holding fast to her hand, openly loving her and proud of it. 'You're the reason I get up in the morning.' He said softly, 'to know you... to love you... to get kisses, to see those eyes.'_

 _Carly sobbed weakly, her fingers entwined with his. 'Don't leave me...' she begged. 'I know it's doctor's orders but don't leave me...'_

 _'_ _I won't.' He promised. 'You're my doctor, order me to stay.'_

 _'_ _Stay.' She whispered, eyes fixed on his._

 _'_ _Yes ma'am. Now you listen to these orders; close those pretty eyes and go to sleep okay? I'll be here, I promise. I'll be here when you wake up... go to sleep...'_

Bo took her hand and kissed it; so many emotions running through him. He had no idea what they were nor did he understand what was going on. He started as her fingers moved slightly under his. 'Clarice?' he said softly, leaning over her. 'Clarice, can you hear me?'

No response; then her eyelids fluttered. 'Clarice? It's Bo.'

Carly's emerald-green eyes half opened, gazing up at him. Bo smiled with relief, wiping his eyes with his free hand. 'Hey you... how do you feel?'

Carly's eyes closed then opened again, peering at him as though trying to focus.

'Don't try to talk; you've just come out of surgery. I'm so glad you're awake.'

Carly made an incoherent sound and winced, her face going even whiter.

'No, no... Don't try to move.' Bo admonished gently, rubbing her shoulder. 'Your wounds been stitched up. You need to be quiet and stay in bed. Okay?'

Carly nodded but looked anxious even in the middle of her pain. With effort, she mumbled something and Bo leaned over to hear. 'H...Hope...' she croaked.

'She's fine, she and Ciara; thanks to you.' Bo sniffled, his heart thumping as he gazed at her face. 'I can't thank you enough for what you did, Clarice. You saved my family and I'll never forget it, ever.'

Carly smiled faintly then said something else and he leaned over again. 'Family... precious...'

'Yes they are. Thank you, Clarice, thank you.' He squeezed her hand, tears falling down his cheeks. Maybe she didn't remember him or her past with him and the family but inside she was still the same Carly Manning he fell in love with years ago; selfless... and so brave.

Carly sighed, closing her eyes as she drifted back to unconsciousness. Bo kissed her forehead, his eyes moving down to the rosebud mouth he'd kissed countless of times in the past. Lying there, comatose and injured, she was drawing him to her like a magnet and the connection was strong, very strong.

 _Your love was a long time ago,_ his head reminded him as he was about to give in to temptation. _A lot of things have changed; Hope, the children and the life you share._

'You rest now, Carly,' he said softly, stroking her hair instead. 'When you get out of here, I'm going to get you your real life back. I promise you, princess.'

It was after he closed the door behind him that he realised that he'd called her by her old pet name out loud for the first time in years.

:::::::::::::::::::

True to his promise, Bo went to Alice's house afterwards and she was told the whole story. She shook her head. 'Poor girl...' she whispered. 'And she did this great thing for the family Bo... she saved your wife and daughter, imagine that.'

She took hold of his hand. 'Are you going to tell Hope she's your ex fiancée?'

Bo shrugged. 'I mean to after some time but right now, I don't know. Hope's still being so hostile towards me; she's still mad that I offered a reward instead of letting her pay the ransom and with what's just happened... I don't want her bothering Carly with questions she can't answer. Nothing's familiar to Carly right now and I don't want Hope or anyone else agitating her.'

'No of course not, that won't do at all.' Alice fixed her eyes on his face. 'It must have been a shock for you, seeing her again after all this time, and in this condition. It's worse than before, isn't it?'

'Those damn Alamains!' Bo gritted his teeth, his brown eyes flashing with anger. 'They did this to her; first Vivian dosed her with drugs and buried her alive, Larry brainwashed her and lured her away from me and then went on to abuse her! I should never have...' he covered his face with his hand. Alice was the only one other than Roman who knew what happened between him and Carly on the boat; the painful, heartrending talk that ended with her walking out of his life forever.

'You had no choice! The damage was already done; you couldn't tie her up and lock her away- what could you do except let her go? You did that because you loved her, you wanted her to be happy, even if it cost you a lot.'

'But Mrs. H... Larry never loved Carly like I loved her; she was nothing but a plaque to him, how could I have let her go with him, knowing the type of man he was? I should have sat her down, warned her...'

'After the way Lawrence made himself look good in her eyes... what good would it have done? I can see that you blame yourself for what happened to her and you have to stop this nonsense, dear. You did what you thought was best...'

'I loved her, I should've fought harder!'

Alice shook her head. 'You let her go because you loved her; you're as selfless as she is. And she would've done the same thing I'm sure, if she was the one with you when Hope came back to us.'

Bo shrank away from that scenario. He'd left Billie to be with Hope because he couldn't deny his feelings for her but would he have left Carly? Billie had healed the wound of losing Carly but Carly... Carly was different. They'd gone through so much to be together; she'd been his spiritual partner, bound to him by the symbolic Mayan wedding they had on top of El Castillo in México, a huge part of his life and Shawn Douglas'. With the way she affected him since she came back, he sincerely doubted he would've left her and he certainly wouldn't have allowed her to leave him. Mrs. H was right about that, Carly would have stepped aside, no matter how much it pain it would cause her.

'That's neither here nor there, Mrs. H. I need to help her get her memory back, after what happened today; more than ever she needs to be Carly again. The dangerous life of an ISA agent is not for her.'

'What about Lawrence? Suppose he or Nicky come back here? What will you do then?'

'Hopefully, that won't happen. If it does, I'll protect her. I'll tell Hope about her... eventually.' As he spoke, Bo wondered just how he'll go about that task.

At the hospital, Clarice drifted in and out of consciousness, two second visions flashing in her mind.

 _A laughing little boy holding her hand..._

 _She lying bleeding in a dark place..._

 _Someone making love to her... the room was lit by many candles... she couldn't see his face... there was something on his back, a tattoo..._

 _A deep voice whispering the word "Princess..."_

Clarice fell into a deep sleep as the visions faded, her mind blank again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The Director of the ISA, Salem branch- Tristan Shaw- granted Abe, Bo and Roman an audience and got the full report of what happened in writing after sending two agents to visit Clarice at the hospital. The three men had agreed not to let Tristan know about Clarice's amnesia or that she and Bo a couple a long time ago; if they wanted their request to be granted. Tristan promised to let them know the final decision soon; New York needed to be contacted as well as the Head Office in D.C.

'I want Carly to stay with me when she leaves the hospital; a hotel room is no place to recuperate. Maybe the whole period will help her with her memory.' Caroline said, as she poured more coffee in Bo's cup.

'I hope so too, Ma.' Bo agreed, the picture of Carly bleeding in his arms still fresh in his mind. The whole episode was still on Ciara's mind as well, since that fateful day she'd been having nightmares so he and Hope decided to have her see a therapist. She also been overly anxious about Clarice but she was yet to be allowed to visit her. 'But remember what we all agreed on...'

'I do remember, we'll all be careful of what we say around her; Victor especially.' 'I'm sure glad Mrs. H knocked some sense in that hard head of his, he sure as hell didn't want to listen to me.' Bo, Roman and Abe had told Victor everything about Carly except for her status as an ISA agent; letting him still believe she was with the FBI. Victor reluctantly accepted that Carly was truly suffering from amnesia but still insisted on Hope knowing about her and Bo. Alice, after complaints from Bo, had summoned Victor to her house and given him a stern talking to.

'Well, Alice always knows how to handle him; Tom too had the knack when he was alive, God rest him.' Caroline sat opposite Bo. 'So, if the ISA allows Carly to stay on to act as a profiler for Salem P.D for a while; you are going to give her desk job?'

'Absolutely. But so that she won't get suspicious she'll be in the field, just not too often. I'll do all I can to see she doesn't get close to danger.'

'Please do that, son.' Caroline urged. 'The memory loss is bad enough. Lord knows what I've gone through all these years having two sons and a daughter-in-law in the police force; now your ex- fiancée's in the ISA... a place she has no business to be. I've had a very hard time imagining a brilliant surgeon like Carly carrying a gun, ever since you told us. I never even approved of Hope joining the force in the first place.'

'I know Ma and it's the main reason why I'm helping Carly get her memory back; I believe she'll get it eventually. If it could happen for Steve, it's going to work for Carly.'

'But you do know you'll have to tell Hope about Carly some time.'

'I know that too. I just don't know how I'll be able to do that without worrying about Hope getting all paranoid and insecure. And I don't want her ruining anything by upsetting Carly; with the way she's been acting with me lately she might think she's Billie all over again, another threat to our marriage. '

'Hope won't think that, not with Carly's present condition and the fact that Carly never planned on coming back here before her memory loss, for fear of Lawrence finding her and possibly hurting you; he hated you with a vengeance. Carly wouldn't put you or the family in danger for anything or ruin your marriage.' Roman had told their mother what Shane had told them and Bo had finally narrated the last conversation he'd had with Carly on the boat. Caroline had tearfully sympathised but refused to allow her son blame himself for what happened to Carly. In her opinion, Bo and Carly were simply victims of unfortunate circumstances, circumstances brought about by Lawrence and Vivian. 'Carly was, is a wonderful woman, no shred of vice or deviousness in her and I trust Hope will be mature enough to realise that. Besides, a lot of things have changed since you and Carly said goodbye, you've led separate lives for over sixteen years. There's nothing for Hope to be worried about since you're helping an old friend.'

Old friends were childhood, high school and college buddies; Carly had been his lover but Bo hoped his mother was right. Hope had the tendency to be unpredictable and impulsive; there was no telling how she would react to the truth about Carly. He wanted to protect Carly but he also wanted to save his marriage and for a marriage to thrive there couldn't be any secrets between him and his wife. And maybe once he and Hope reconnected, he'll be able to shrug off the powerful feelings that have been disturbing him since Carly's return; feelings he didn't understand, want or need. He loved Hope, always would and Carly was the past, even though he did still care about her. The reason why he was getting her assigned to Salem P.D for some time was simply to help her, nothing else.

'Hope will understand, Ma. In fact,' suddenly making a decision. 'I'm going to tell her tonight... get everything out in the open.'

Caroline looked surprised. 'You're sure you want to tell her now?'

'I think it's best she knows now, I don't want secrets between us. Once she knows the whole story and what Carly went through with Lawrence, Hope will probably give her some support too. Besides, she knows how much I love her.'

His mother shrugged. 'But in case Hope needs convincing, you let me know. And when you visit Carly, tell her about my offer.'

'I will. And remember, her name's Clarice.'

Caroline sighed, shaking her head. 'If only...'

'What?' asked Bo, puzzled at the expression on his mother's face.

Caroline hesitated, wondering if it was wise to tell him, then decided to. 'I never told you this but... years ago, at Carly's wedding shower at Jennifer and Jack's house; after I assured her she will give you a child eventually despite what Dr. Alvarez said... we talked a little about baby names. I asked her what she would name your son, she said Jeremy Shawn. When I asked her what she would name the baby if it was a girl she said...'

'Clarice.' Bo guessed in a quiet voice. So Carly had been thinking of him and their broken dreams when she chose that name for her new identity; naming herself after the daughter they never had. And the whole time ready to face a future in New York without him, content to raise Nicky alone and not even tell him.

Caroline nodded, wincing at the sad, reflective look on her son's face.

:::::::::::::::::::

'Daddy, Daddy!' Ciara ran to him as he closed the front door behind him. Bo lifted her up in his arms, kissing her. 'How's my little girl today? Did you get along great at the therapist's?'

Ciara nodded, her bright little face sobering. 'Daddy, why won't you and Mummy let me see Clarice? I really want to.'

'I know you do honey but Clarice was badly hurt; she needs lots of rest. But I told her you want to visit, she's been thinking of you a lot too. And I gave her the drawing you made for her, she told me she was going to frame it and hang it up.'

'Yay!' Ciara squealed as Hope came downstairs.

'There you are Fancy face... I really need to talk to you about something important.' Bo said, setting the child down. The sooner he got it over with, the better.

Hope however didn't look curious or interested by her husband's statement; instead she took Ciara by the hand. 'Go put on your jacket like I told you, Ciara.'

'Okay.' Ciara ran up the stairs. Bo stared after her then at his wife in askance. 'You guys going out?'

Hope looked back at him steadily, her expression intractable and determined.

'You could say that. We're taking a trip out of town for a while.'

Bo narrowed his eyes. 'And when were you going to tell me this? You didn't even give me any warning...'

'That's because you aren't coming with us. It's best that Ciara and I go alone.'

Bo couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'Says who? Why the hell are you going away in the first place, and without me?' he barked.

'Lower your voice, will you?' Hope hissed angrily, glaring at him. 'I should think you've done more than enough to our daughter without getting her scared all over again.'

'What is that supposed to mean, _I've done more than enough?_ What's this about?' he glared back, unable to keep his voice down as ordered.

'You Brady, gambled with our daughter's life!' Hope spat. 'You didn't let me pay the ransom, that's why Dean almost killed us and almost killed Clarice; Ciara actually saw her shot right here in her own home- if you hadn't been so pig-headed, he would've been long gone and Ciara wouldn't be plagued by nightmares! I can't let her stay here for one more day so we're leaving.'

'And I'm supposed to let you walk out with my daughter, just like that?'

'You don't have much of a choice, do you? You brought all this about, you. Not only did you mishandle the whole chase, you refused to admit you messed up. So don't you even try to stop me.'

Bo grabbed her roughly by the arm as she made to walk past him, enraged beyond measure. ' Like hell I won't stop you! How dare you say such a thing to me! How dare you just decide to take Ciara without discussing it with me- I'm your husband!'

'Husband?' Hope scoffed coldly, struggling free from his grip. 'What sort of husband would do what you did or a father for that matter?'

'What sort of wife would leave her home when things get rough, who won't let her husband help her?' Bo fired back. 'You're doing it all over again, I thought you were done with that!'

'I suggest you look in the mirror and figure out why I had to! Good luck with that, we are leaving, case closed!'

Ciara came down, her backpack in one hand, her teddy bear in the other. Hope gave him a warning glance before turning to Ciara. 'All set, sweetie?'

'Yes.' Ciara looked at Bo. 'Are you coming later, Daddy?'

Bo looked at the woman he loved, searching for some sign of softness on her face but found none. How could this be happening to them after over twenty years of marriage; after the joys and sorrows they've faced together? Only sheer force of will made him pick up his little girl instead of grabbing Hope and shake some sense into her.

'No little one, you and Mummy need some time alone; I have to stay here and take care of things. You go and have fun for the two of us, okay?'

Ciara looked disappointed but nodded, kissing him on the cheek. 'Okay. I love you Daddy.'

Bo blinked back sudden tears as he held her tightly in his arms, kissing her back. 'I love you too, sweetie. You and Mummy take care now. I'll call you.'

Hope slipped on her own jacket and picked up the bags behind the couch, without looking at Bo. No hug, no kiss goodbye; completely shutting him out. Silently, Bo watched his family leave; his heart ripped to shreds.

:::::::::::::::::::

Bo opened Carly's door silently. She was asleep, the monitor beeping. After sitting alone staring at nothing; he felt he had to get out of the oppressively quiet house and seek some company. No one knew of what went on with Hope yet; he didn't feel like telling anybody and listen to sympathies or lectures, he was far too heart sore. After Ciara's birth, he thought he and Hope were past the pain and mistakes over the years; they'd even renewed their vows as a symbol of a new chapter of their love. How wrong he was.

Placing the flowers on the blanket he sat beside Carly, watching her thoughtfully. Three years, short compared to twenty five years with Hope but they had been wonderful years. He never wanted to love Carly initially; out of guilt and grief over Hope's supposed death and the agonising fear of losing Carly too. But every day of knowing Carly and spending time with her, she'd crept further and further in his heart. Carly never backed out when things got rough, she faced them with him- shared them with him. Before they were even a couple she did her best to keep him out of trouble and acted as his voice of reason, whether he liked it or not. Stubborn, pig-headed, loyal Carly...

 _'_ _This is none of your business!'_

 _'_ _It is my business,' was Carly's calm reply._

 _'_ _Yeah why?' he asked, really angry at her assumption that she had the right to watch his every move._

 _'_ _Because... Because I care about you.' she said hesitantly._

 _'_ _Oh...And that's supposed to be enough reason to get yourself into trouble?'_

 _'_ _Why is that hard to believe Bo?' she demanded. 'Don't tell me you haven't done the same.'_

 _She had a point and it infuriated him the more. 'Alright, maybe I have...'_

 _'_ _Then why won't you let me help you?' she cut in, grabbing his arm as he walked past her. 'Why?'_

 _'_ _Because, I care about you!' he snapped back. The stunned look on her face made him realise he'd finally admitted what he'd been holding back for so long. It was the truth and it frightened him. He didn't want to fall in love with this beautiful girl, another had died because of him. He couldn't lose Carly too._

 _He took her hand, squeezing it between his. 'I care about you. And I don't want you hanging around me when I'm doing things like this.' Abruptly, he dropped it and turned away from her._

 _'_ _You're asking too much from me.'_

 _'_ _I'm not asking...'_

 _'_ _I CAN'T LEAVE YOU.' she said resolutely, 'not after everything we've been through; we've come too far for me to leave you now!'_

 _Bo wanted to scream in frustration at her stubbornness. 'You know, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen! I didn't want you hanging around me and becoming attached to me.' Even when she wasn't around, he couldn't get her out his mind and it didn't help that Shawn Douglas talked about her a lot._

 _'_ _Maybe you're afraid of getting too attached to me.' she said quietly._

 _She was a very good mind reader and she'd said it with no trace of conceit or triumph. 'Well maybe,' he said gruffly, 'but that doesn't matter...'_

 _'_ _It does matter, it matters a lot,' she insisted._

 _'_ _Why? So that I can get involved with you, get you killed too?'_

 _Carly stood there silently for a while, probably fumbling for the right words. He wished she would leave, he was having a very strong urge to kiss her... and more._

 _'_ _Bo, you don't have to worry about me, okay; I can take care of myself.'_

 _'_ _I've heard that before.' He muttered bitterly._

 _'_ _Look at me,' she said softly. He felt her fingers touching his hair and he tensed, struggling to control himself. 'Look at me.' Reluctantly he obeyed, looking deep into the beautiful emerald-green eyes looking solemnly up at him._

 _'_ _I'm not Hope.' She said, her expression firm yet serene, not breaking her gaze. He stared back her, his heart thumping. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Carly Manning had definitely gotten to him._

 _'_ _No...' he said quietly, reaching out to hold her face between his palms. 'No, you're not.'_

Bo pushed back strands of hair from Carly's pale forehead. If there was any woman who'd truly been there for him, it was the woman lying right there. As he thought over Hope's words to him he tried imaging Carly standing there in Hope's stead, saying them to him and couldn't. Because Carly would never say them in a million years, much less think them. Caroline or Roman would probably regard him as disloyal for comparing his wife with his ex but Bo couldn't help it right now. Hope's sudden action deeply hurt him and he needed some sort of comfort. Moving his hand down to stroke Carly's cheek, he went over that same night so long ago...

 _'_ _Then I'm willing to face them with you.' she said firmly._

 _'_ _Do you have any idea what that means?' he said sceptically. Nick Corelli's death was his own responsibility, his burden; no way was he going to implicate Carly._

 _'_ _Yes. And I'm willing to do what it takes to see you through this.'_

 _He was touched by her sincerity, her loyalty. 'You mean that don't you?' he said slowly. She nodded, eyes not leaving his face._

 _'_ _I never thought I would have anybody... anything like this again in my life.'_

 _'_ _Well, you do.' Carly said quietly, touching his face and he didn't pull away, not wanting to. Before he knew it she was in his arms, his cheek pressed against her hair..._

Carly's eyes suddenly opened, peering at him. 'Bo...' she said softly. 'Hello.'

'Hi... how are you today?' he smiled. 'Look, I got you these.' He placed the bouquet of roses in her hands.

'Oh, thank you... they are beautiful. Hope came by today... did she tell you?'

Bo turned his eyes away, filled with bitterness at the mention of his wife's name.

'Bo...what's wrong?' Carly asked anxiously.

'Nothing's wrong. It's just...' he suddenly felt the need to confide in her, to see her reaction. He turned back to look at her. 'Hope left with Ciara today. She felt Ciara needed to be in a new environment, after everything that went down at the house.'

'Of course... but why aren't you with them?'

Bo sighed then narrated what Hope had said, everything she'd accused him of. He didn't feel treacherous towards his wife as he did so, he needed to vent out his pain and anger and who else but Carly could actually listen and not judge him.

'That's crazy...' Carly said at last. 'You aren't to blame for anything. Why on earth...?'

'I keep going over what I did wrong Clarice and I can't come up with anything. Even my cousin and my own father think I handled everything wrong _._ I didn't think Hope would carry things this far... not wanting me around my daughter.'

'Hope was upset... I like to think that she didn't mean what she said to you. And you... give her time. When she comes back, the first thing she'll want to do is kiss and make up. Time heals... so does love. You shouldn't believe she meant it... okay?'

Bo took her hand. 'Thank you, Clarice.'

'Family is precious... remember?'

'They are. And sure, I'll take your advice, give her some time. We've gone through worse, anyhow.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah. Some years ago...' the old pain creeping in but he continued, 'we lost our son Zack in a car accident. He was barely five.'

'Oh God... I'm so sorry, I didn't know.' Carly whispered. 'How did you both get through it?'

'It wasn't easy; not easy at all.' It certainly wasn't, considering who had run over Zack in the first place; his daughter from Billie, Chelsea. It was after Ciara's birth that Hope had finally forgiven her, and him for that matter.

'Well if you two could get over such heartache... this one is minor compared to that. Everything will turn out okay, you'll see.'

Bo squeezed her hand, smiling warmly at her; the weight on his shoulders lifted by her words.

'By the way, my mother wants you to stay with her when you get out of here.'

'That's very sweet of her... but I can't possibly impose like that.' Carly objected.

'You won't be imposing, she really wants to look after you and you can't go to New York right after you're discharged. Besides, Hope's grandmother- Alice Horton- wants to get to know you better. She keeps asking about you.'

'Really?'

'Really. She's a wonderful woman; her late husband was Chief of Staff of this very hospital.' He watched her carefully as he added, 'Dr. Thomas Horton.'

To his great disappointment, no sign of recognition on her face. 'Well... I guess I have to accept... your mother's hospitality and meet Mrs. Horton if she wants me to. Okay, sure.'

'Great.'

'Tell me more about your family... do you have another child... besides Ciara?'

'My first son, Shawn Douglas. He's married with a daughter of his own; they live in Chicago.' He made a mental note to inform Shawn D about Carly as soon as he could, he totally forgot in all the excitement of the past week.

'Shawn Douglas... that's a very nice name.'

Bo found himself hating Lawrence more and more. Shawn D had been like a son to her long before Nicky surfaced; she didn't remember him either! He needed to contact Marlena too; she might just be the one to get through to Carly better.

'He was named after his two grandfathers.' He explained.

'And you are one yourself...' Carly smiled faintly, a teasing twinkle in her eyes. 'A very young one though.'

Bo chuckled quietly. ' I get that a lot. I hope you get to meet him.'

'I hope so too. Depends on how long I'm still here.'

 _This is your home_ , Bo thought, holding on to her hand firmly. 'You live in the city?' he asked.

Carly nodded. She was feeling tired from all the talking but she didn't want Bo to leave her. Summoning strength she continued, 'I also have a lake house; in Connecticut. I stay there on weekends... or when I have some time off. I told Roman about it.'

'You don't have a boyfriend?' Bo asked, steeling himself for her answer; the idea of a man in her life strangely bothering him.

Carly smiled. 'I'm in the ISA. Where will I have the time? I'm your average loner. No family; no ties.'

As soon as she got her memory back, she would know how wrong she was; Frankie, Nicky and the Bradys who still thought of her as one of them.

'Well, you do have ties Clarice; you made a lot of friends overnight. People who appreciate and admire you for what you did; including me.' Letting go of her hand, he touched her cheek. 'I'm more than honoured to have you as a friend; I want you to know that.'

Carly looked up at him, mesmerized by the warm brown eyes; a huge comprehension hitting her with full force. _I'm in love with this wonderful man,_ she thought with pain. _And I can never have a future with him._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Bo locked up for the night but didn't go to bed immediately. Instead he pulled out one of the photo albums from the cabinet and sat on the couch. Each flip of a page a life time of memories; he and Hope, the children, the extended family of Bradys and Hortons. He paused at the photo of him and Hope on their first wedding in 1985, which had taken place in England. He remembered that day like it was yesterday; Hope walking down the aisle on her grandfather's arm so beautiful in her white lace and satin wedding dress with long tight sleeves, her elegant veil hiding her happy face. He had been so happy too; his Fancy Face belonged to him for the whole world to see at long last. As he stared at the photograph, he remembered another bride; a beautiful bride in a native Mayan wedding huipil, her hair decorated with flowers as they pledged their love for each other on the top of El Castillo in México, same bride wore a white, off shoulder satin dress with a lace collar for their church wedding in Salem; a simple lace veil over her head, grinning at him as she walked along the aisle, every inch a princess. He'd felt like the luckiest man in the world as he grasped her hand at the altar, their eyes fixed on each other. His princess, his beautiful Carly.

 _'_ _Bo, I understand you have a few words to say to Carly.'_

 _He had more than a few words to say to the woman he loved so much; who in a few seconds will finally be called Mrs. Carly Brady, his wife. They faced each other, her lovely face looking at him through the veil._

 _'_ _The way I feel about you can fill volumes,' He began softly. 'But instead I picked a few choice phrases. One is a gift from heaven... which I'm eternally grateful for.' Carly blinked, her lips trembling as she struggled not to cry; her fingers tightly holding on to his._

 _'_ _Second is the love of my life. Sometimes I find it hard to believe I have you in my life. Right now when I look at you... at that face, that glow around you, that smile... and you're looking at me, loving me... and you're finally marrying me. I promise to do everything in my power to make sure you are happy. I will always treat you with respect; as a partner and as a friend.'_

 _'_ _My heart is so full right now,' Carly said emotionally. 'When you said what you just said about me, I thought... can I love you any more completely than I do right now. I'm going to have the rest of my life to find that out. You're my great love, Bo...'_

And Lawrence had ruined everything... he and that evil bitch Vivian.

Bo slammed the album shut; angry and confused. First he'd been thinking about his wife, longing for her then his mind had shifted to Carly. All the years she was gone he'd locked away his memories of her, now they were just pouring out one by one since she returned. _It's because she wasn't happy all those years like I thought_ , he told himself. _I feel guilty for letting her go... for having a life with Hope while she was all alone._ But Hope too lived as someone else the whole time he'd been happy with Carly and later Billie; which further reminded him that he wouldn't have left Carly for Hope. Or would he have? With the way he felt now, Bo wasn't sure about anything anymore. Putting the album aside, he reached for the blanket draped over the couch, pressing it to his face. It belonged to Hope, countless nights he'd draped it over her shoulders when she felt chilly; snuggling with her on this very couch. Now it seemed so long ago... he had no idea where she was, or what was going to happen when she came back. That and what she was going to say when he told her about Carly, which she didn't give him the chance to do and he wasn't going to tell her such a thing over the phone. He'll just have to bid his time. Like he told Carly; he and Hope have been through worse. Even when they much younger, they had a lot of battles... Doug's disapproval of him, Hope's reluctance to oppose her father after his illness, Larry Welch; the husband chosen for her, their fights before her 'death.' He'd missed her terribly, wanting to die but their little Shawn D had kept him going... then later Carly. Try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo Brady was unlike any man Clarice's ever known in her life, hence why she couldn't help but fall in love with him. But all the same she was filled with dismay and horror; after several years of being alone, going on missions and dodging bullets- she now had feelings for a married man, a married man with children. Nothing could come out of it, she saw the look of sadness in his eyes when he told her how Hope walked out of their home with Ciara. When Hope eventually came back, she and Bo will settle things and be happy again. She wished she hadn't agreed to stay with Caroline now but it was too late to say no and it would be a while before she fully recovered enough to go back to New York. Keeping valuable secrets from the enemy was child's play compared to having to keep her feelings to herself while she was still in Salem. And she had to; she wasn't going to break up Bo's marriage or his happiness for anything. Clarice briefly mulled over her predicament before drifting to a deep, troubled sleep. An image flashed in her mind and her head shifted restlessly on the pillows, willing it to appear again and it did, followed by a few more; all hazy.

 _Candles...A lighted room... Two entwined bodies on a bed..._

She frowned in her delirium, trying to hold on to the image as it faded then came back like a dim lamp brightening but only just.

 _A face, hers but she looked younger... she was in a man's arms... he was kissing her neck..._ Clarice's mind struggled to see his face but couldn't. _Something was on his back... a tattoo... too hazy to see what it was... what was it of? Brighten damn it!_

'Agent Parker? Agent Parker...'

Clarice jerked awake, her head hurting painfully and her face and neck drenched with sweat. Standing over her was Dr. Carver looking anxious, a nurse at her elbow. 'Are you alright?'

Clarice blinked, swallowing. 'What happened?' she croaked.

'The monitor went out of control; seems your heart rate shot up for some reason. Were you having a nightmare?' Lexie asked as the nurse patted Clarice's face dry with a sterile cloth.

Clarice moaned, closing her eyes. 'I have a headache.' She mumbled.

Lexie placed a cool hand on her forehead. 'Mmm... you're burning up. We'll give you something for that.' Instructing the nurse to get the necessary medication, she checked Clarice's pulse. 'Was it a nightmare, Clarice?' The name weighed heavily in Lexie's mouth; it was so hard to see Carly as a totally different person, no memory of her family, friends or past life. She'd cried when Abe told her about Lawrence's abuse after the surgery, cursing him with all her might. A lot of time may have passed but Carly was still a person she remembered with fondness.

'Nightmare?' Clarice tried to recall what she saw in her dream but her head was aching too much. The nurse returned with the pills and Clarice took them, along with a long draught of water for her parched throat. 'Thanks, doctor.'

'Call me Lexie, please.' Lexie signalled the nurse to leave the room.

'Lexie?'

'It's short for Alexandra.' Lexie sank into the chair beside her. 'I'm Abe Carver's wife by the way.'

'Oh...' Clarice peered at her. 'With the name, I should've made the connection.'

'It was a very brave thing you did.'

'I'm not exactly Power Girl.' Clarice murmured.

Lexie chuckled. 'You know, I was once a police officer myself.'

'Really?'

'Uh huh... then I went back to school and years later...' Lexie spread her hands. Actually she was kicked off the force for deliberately not turning in the vigilante known as 'The Pacifier'; who in reality was Abe's younger brother, Jonah. Now she was the one wearing the stethoscope and white coat while Carly was the one carrying a gun. Abe told her in confidence that Carly was in the ISA; which shocked her more than the amnesia but pledged to do her own bit at helping her with her memory. Although she also wondered how Hope will react once she found out Carly was Bo's ex; probably she would be more furious everyone hid the truth from her than having another ex around Bo, she'd resented Billie Reed and Billie had given her more than enough reason to hate her through her efforts to ruin their marriage. With the way Hope was currently acting like a child, Bo might just start leaning towards Carly and though Hope was her best friend, Lexie wouldn't blame him. But for her sake, she hoped that won't happen.

'Well... we choose a path, and then life leads us to another.' Carly said.

'Absolutely. And I'm happy with mine. I have a family and I help the sick...' Lexie felt ashamed at the wry look on Clarice's pale face. 'I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to make you feel bad.'

'That's okay... Lexie.' Clarice shrugged. 'I've never killed anyone who wasn't trying to kill me. I got into law enforcement because... I had this nagging need to protect people.'

 _Just like Bo,_ Lexie thought. On the inside, Clarice Parker was still Carly Manning ... Bo's spiritual half which Billie never was though Bo had loved her. _But so is Hope!_ She argued in defence of her friend. She and Bo had had problems over the years but caused by third-party interference and most married couples fought; that wasn't unusual. Bo and Carly never fought until that spoilt brat of hers came between them and Bo ended up losing her to him and Lawrence Alamain.

'I understand... that was Abe's motivation too; even though he's Mayor, he still tries to be as active as he was when he was still a cop. Bo and Roman do most of the work.' she chuckled.

Clarice forced herself not to talk about Bo, she might give herself away. Instead she shifted in bed and replied, 'My head feels a little better now.'

'Happy to hear that.' Lexie touched her temple. 'But you didn't answer my question, were you dreaming?'

A candle lit room... a tattoo... Clarice somehow didn't feel like sharing such a dream with anyone. 'I guess so, but I don't remember what it was.' She lied.

Lexie nodded, disappointed. 'Well, if you need anything just press the buzzer right here and a nurse will see to you, okay?' she got up.

'Thank you, Lexie. I hope we'll be good friends while I'm here.'

'We already are, Clarice.' Lexie assured her, smiling. 'Go to sleep now.' For her sake, she hoped Carly will get her life back, without ruining Hope's.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Here... give me that.' Bo took the suitcase from Carly and slipped his arm round her waist to steady her as they went up the path to the house.

'Bo, I can walk perfectly well by myself.' She protested, inwardly revelling in his touch and being close to him. She wondered if he could feel her heart racing. Bo wondered if Carly could feel his heart pounding or his hand going clammy. The feel of the familiar soft skin under her clothes was invoking more locked away memories... _the two of them dancing under the stars on Isabella's roof, México- entwined on the sand, laying her down on the pool table..._

He kept a tighter hold of her as he forced the images away. _A fine dude you are_ , he told himself sternly. _You're married to one woman and getting the hots for another; the whole objective is to help her and you're losing it by mentally picturing her naked!_ He couldn't let his emotions get in the way of what he vowed to do for her; it would only complicate things for the two of them. Since her time at the hospital, he found himself wanting to kiss her whenever he came to visit, which appalled him. His mind would immediately revert to Hope, who was yet to come home with Ciara; reminding himself how important Hope and their marriage was to him. No way could he ever get romantically involved with Carly, no matter how much she affected him and she definitely was affecting him; sexually. He really needed Hope to come home before he made a fool of himself.

Caroline opened the door, smiling. 'Here you are at last, Clarice. Give me the case, Bo.' She took it from him and made way for them to enter.

'Thanks again for doing this, Mrs. Brady.' Clarice said as they followed Caroline upstairs.

'Nonsense... you don't have to thank me dear, I'm more than happy to have you here. I couldn't let you stay in a lonely hotel room while you're recovering from your injuries, could I? And...' she turned to look at her sternly, 'It's Caroline, alright?'

Clarice nodded, sharing an amused glance with Bo. Caroline opened the bedroom door. 'This is Bo's old room... I hope you'll be comfortable here.'

'I'm sure I will, it's lovely.'

'It wasn't like this when Bo lived here; rock stars' and half naked models' posters all over the walls, his clothes, sneakers and magazines everywhere...'

'Yeah, thanks ma.' Bo interrupted swiftly, glaring at her as Clarice laughed. 'I wasn't as bad as you just painted.'

'No son... you were much worse.' Caroline retorted. Turning to Clarice she continued, 'I guess you'll want to rest until lunch time; I can bring a tray up to you.'

'No...'

' _Yes._ You're a guest, so no arguments.' Patting her cheek, she left them alone.

'You have a wonderful Mum there.' Clarice said, sitting on the bed.

Bo grinned, shrugging. 'With us kids and grandkids all grown up and married... I guess Mum misses out having someone to fuss over and boss around. And she could certainly use the company too. You'll love it here.'

'I already do. By the way... you've been holding out on me, Bo.'

He raised one eyebrow as he sat on a chair opposite her. 'Oh, how so?'

She shook her head at him. 'Director Shaw came to see me yesterday. Apparently, I'm on loan for a while. When were you going to tell me you and Roman and Abe approached the agency requesting my profiler services?'

'Oh man... I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to hide that from you. I was going to tell you soon as we got a definite answer from your superiors. With you injured, it didn't seem like the right time. You aren't angry, are you?'

She wasn't angry, just distressed at the idea of being around Bo longer than she thought. She was planning on heading home soon as she was fully recovered, taking her secret with her... her love for Bo. 'I'm just surprised... I wasn't expecting it. '

'You did a very great job cracking the case, Clarice. Roman, Abe and I decided we needed you to stay longer to help us; we've never had a profiler as good as you. Of course, no one else will know you're ISA; as far as our men are concerned, you're on loan from the FBI.'

Clarice nodded. 'That's how it should be. Anyway... you should know that Shaw said you guys have me for a year but I still might get called in for a mission during my stay with you.'

Going on missions while she was assigned to Salem P.D wasn't exactly what Bo bargained for; the last thing he wanted was any progress she might make dashed to pieces. But having her for a year was a major victory all the same; more than enough time to gain her memory back. Of course there was also the need to keep his hands off her the whole time too. Even with no makeup she looked so pretty and desirable and he found himself again longing to plant his mouth on hers, stroke her hair and hold her in his arms...the intensity of his feelings stunned him.

'You're doing it again.' she said suddenly.

'What?'

'Looking at me in that weird way; you've been doing that since we met. Why?'

'I'm sorry... I didn't mean to freak you out.' Bo assured her hastily. 'It's just... well you look like somebody I knew a long time ago. She had eyes just like yours.'

'You mean the woman you mistook me for, Carly?'

He nodded, watching her carefully.

'Oh... I was meaning to ask you about that. Who was she?'

Grateful for the sudden opening Bo replied, 'She was a doctor; Shawn D's actually- she nursed him after an accident he had. He got very attached to her; we all did.'

'What happened to her?'

'She got married and moved away... we haven't heard from her since then.' Somehow Clarice got the feeling there was more to it than that, he was hiding something from her from the way his face clouded and the bitterness in his voice. Had Carly been his lover? He didn't seem the cheating type and Hope didn't mistake her for Carly like he and mother did. She couldn't put her finger in it just yet but she will find out what was really going on, who this woman had really been to him.

'So...' she said, deciding to change the subject. 'When am I to start my temporary position?'

'As soon as you're really back on your feet, no rush.' Disappointed he hadn't gotten through to her just a little, Bo got up. Taking her hand, he pressed it between his. 'I know we're going to enjoy working together.'

'Me too.' Was the soft reply. Their eyes met, both finding it difficult to look away.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Two weeks before Christmas, Hope and Ciara came back from their vacation. The little girl flung herself at Bo as soon as he walked through the door. 'Daddy!' she shrieked joyfully. Bo hugged her tightly, kissing her. 'I missed you so much sweetheart, how was your trip?'

'Fine!' the child said enthusiastically. 'We went to the beach everyday and Mummy and me went to Disney Land!'

Bo smiled grimly at the picture of them having fun without him. 'Well, it's good to finally have you both home. Where's Mummy?'

'Upstairs with Uncle Justin.'

Bo's blood ran cold with disbelief and anger. What the hell was Justin doing in his house, with his wife? As he set Ciara down, Justin emerged, some boxes in his hands. 'Oh hey Bo, wasn't expecting you.'

'Why wouldn't you, this is my house after all.' Bo said tightly. 'What are you doing here, Justin?'

'I asked him to come over to help me with the luggage.' Hope replied, holding two suitcases. 'Ciara, go wait in the car with Uncle Justin.'

The child looked at her mother and then at her father, a puzzled expression on her face. 'But Mummy...'

'Right now, honey; don't argue.' Obediently Ciara followed Justin out.

'What the hell's going on now, Hope?' Bo asked as calmly as a man who was on the verge of exploding in rage. 'I thought when you came back from your trip, everything will be back to the way it was.'

'After what happened in this living room Bo, things can't possibly go back to the way it was... Ciara was attacked here and she witnessed her new friend shot.'

'If you're still upset about that; then let's sell the house and move somewhere else, start afresh there. This is not the best solution, Hope... making us live apart.' Bo said, really exasperated.

'I'm concerned about our daughter's well being.'

'Well, I'm concerned about our marriage! What's happening to us, Fancy face? We haven't been able to communicate because you keep pushing me away! I love you, we can work this out together.' Bo pleaded desperately, taking her arm.

Hope freed her arm, her face sad but stubborn as always. 'I'm sorry. I love you too, but like you just said, we just can't communicate. And I just can't get past what you did... Ciara might have died, just like Zack.'

'Hope, I loved Zack as much as you did.' Bo said quietly.

'Yeah you loved him... but not enough to see his killer get justice. You say you love me yet you always have to be right; when we were younger you treated me like an equal partner, now I'm just your wife who has to follow everything you say, even if it's wrong. Well guess what Brady, the scales have fallen off my eyes. I will not play your obedient little wife any more. Ciara and I are staying at your father's until I make permanent arrangements.'

Bo couldn't believe what he was hearing... surely she wasn't saying what he feared. 'Permanent arrangements?'

'We've been going back and forth all these years; especially after Zack's death and I for one am tired. It's time we called it a day.'

Bo felt as though somebody had just punched him hard on the chest. 'Who's idea was this, you or Justin's?' he spat, angry and hurt at her announcement.

'You leave Justin out of this; I am more capable of making decisions on my own!' Hope snapped. 'I thought this through and it's exactly what I want... I want out. It's over, Brady. We'll discuss visitation rights later.' She picked up the cases.

'Hope, don't do this...'

'I am doing it because I have the right to protect my daughter and myself. I'm not going to change my mind so don't bother.' Without another word, she walked through the door, leaving Bo to stare after her; shaken at how his life had suddenly turned upside down. His marriage was over, just like that... after 25 long years. Pressing his hand against his aching head, he sank into an arm chair; every part of him filled with misery. He was more than ready to salvage his marriage but got kicked aside. What was the point of trying? Hope's made her decision and no matter what she said, he had a gut feeling Justin was responsible for it... he'd long suspected that his cousin had designs for Hope since his split from Adrienne. Justin will be lucky enough not to get his head punched in the next time he saw him! Sighing, Bo took his jacket off and went upstairs to wash his face with cold water; going back downstairs to raid the fridge for a beer. He'd just settled down on the couch when the door bell rang. Placing the bottle down, he got up to answer it. Carly stood there. 'Hi.' She smiled.

Bo smiled back in spite of himself, very glad to see her. After two weeks of enforced rest, she'd started work the day before. She was given an office all to herself and he and Roman had formally introduced her to all the officers and detectives who already admired her for her role in catching Dean. However, the gun holster on her waist instead of the stethoscope over her shoulder still needed getting used to. 'Hi yourself. Come in.'

She stepped inside. 'I hope I'm not interrupting anything.'

'Not at all. Would you like a beer?'

'Sure, thank you.'

As Bo went to the kitchen, she took off her jacket and went to the table where framed photos were displayed. She saw a photo of Bo, Hope and Ciara, one of a handsome young man with a blonde woman and a little girl, another of a good looking little boy. _Zack..._ she guessed, feeling sad for Bo and Hope at how their son's life was tragically cut short. There was one more photograph, smaller than the others, of a young girl with short dark hair.

'Who's this?' she asked as he came back with her drink, pointing at the photo.

'Oh... that's my older daughter, Chelsea.'

'Ah...' she looked more closely. 'She doesn't look like you or Hope.'

'That's because she's not Hope's daughter; she's from my second wife, Billie. Chelsea and I... well we've had sort of a turbulent relationship but we managed to forge a better one before she left town.'

Clarice sensed a long, complicated story but decided not to ask. 'Where is she now?'

'In England, with her mother. We talk on the phone now and then. Here...'

'Thanks.' Opening the bottle, she asked. 'Any word from Hope?'

Bo sighed heavily, feeling depressed again. 'She came back today, but only to tell me she was moving out permanently with Ciara.'

Her emerald-green eyes widened. 'I don't understand... I thought the point of her trip was to forget what happened here and then start over.'

'Exactly, exactly what I thought Clarice!' Bo said angrily; pain and hurt at Hope's action still stinging him. 'But it turned out she had another game plan. She's... asked me for a divorce.'

'You're not planning on giving it to her, are you?'

He walked away from her, shrugging. 'I don't know.'

'Don't know? What sort of answer is that?' Clarice put the bottle down. 'You still love her, don't you?'

Bo turned. 'Of course I do.'

'Then go to her wherever she is... sit her down and talk it out with her. Tell her you love her and miss her and point out many reasons why you shouldn't get a divorce. 25 years is something you can't allow go down the drain.'

Bo stared at her, his emotions tumbling together all over again. 'Why do you care so much about me like this?'

 _To rid myself of feelings I have no right to have..._ which she couldn't possibly say to him. Instead, she reached out to rub his arm. 'You're a wonderful father and from all accounts, you've been a very good husband. You deserve to be happy... with your family with you. Don't let Dean Hartman have the satisfaction of ruining what you have with Hope. Go to her right now and talk it out, huh?'

 _Oh God... why do you have to be so unbearably sweet, princess?_ Bo wanted to scream out loud. Before Carly arrived he was wallowing in misery, wondering just how to get Hope back; Carly was now standing in front of him, giving him advice but he was barely listening to it. Over the past few weeks, the need to kiss her had evolved to the need to rip her clothes off... right now he was consumed with desire for Carly. He still loved Hope and Carly had meant too much to him in the past to be treated like a piece of ass; that and her memory loss. He mustn't forget the reason why he'd kept her in Salem.

With great effort, he smiled down at her; pushing all sexual thoughts aside. 'You're right. I'll go over to her and make her talk things out with me.'

'That's what I want to hear.' Whatever her feelings were, she truly wanted Bo to be happy and the key was Hope, even though in her opinion Hope Brady was behaving selfishly; hurting Bo this way.

They sat together on the couch sipping beer, talking for a long while. 'What are your plans for Christmas by the way?' Bo asked. 'Victor's having a formal party at the country club's ballroom on Christmas Eve; care to come as my guest?'

'Roman's already asked me to be his date.' Carly replied.

'He... has?' Bo was aware how his voice sounded tight and his stomach lurched at the idea of his brother, who always referred to Carly as 'that little girl' back in the day, coming the party with her. Every formal engagement he attended with Carly, Bo was always the envy of every man in the room, except in the case of Lawrence who always hid his rage behind condescending disdain.

'Yes, I hope I find the right dress. The last time I was at a ball I was undercover and the dress was uh... specially made for a quick getaway if you know what I mean.'

Bo however wasn't in the mood for an anecdote, he was bristling with illogical jealousy. 'When did he ask you?'

'Today, at the station. He brought me coffee and just happened to mention it. Roman's very charming, it will be fun going with him. Hey... maybe you and Hope will make up in time to show up at the party together, right?'

'Right.' Bo said quietly. What the hell was wrong with him that he resented Roman asking Carly out... they were both single; he was married... that is if he's able to talk to Hope; maybe they might even go for counselling if she was adamant about the divorce. He glanced at Carly who was calmly sipping her beer; remembering the first and only time they'd lived apart- after their wedding was ruined. She'd been more than anxious to make amends but he was too angry and hurt to listen to her for still keeping secrets from him after all they've been through. And once again, her action turned out to have a very good reason... after all he did the same thing several years later when Chelsea was arrested for Zack's death; did all he could to protect his daughter just as Carly did all she could to protect Nicky, considering they missed out both children's childhoods. If only she could remember at least something from their past right now, anything!

He touched her hand, rubbing the back with his thumb. 'Since you got here you've done nothing but help me, even getting shot. Now you're doing all you can to cheer me up.'

'How am I doing so far?'

'More than great.' He smiled faintly, his hand moving up her arm to her shoulder. 'You're a great friend, Clarice.'

She shrugged smiling. 'You're a great friend too.' She replied, her heart suddenly beating faster as his fingers touched the side of her neck. She knew she should move away but somehow she couldn't budge.

How he loved her skin... so soft and silken. Bo found his desire rising again as he leaned forward to do what he'd been longing to do since the day she was shot, kiss her breathless.

'What are we doing?' she whispered, her voice low and tremulous.

'I don't know,' he whispered back. 'Let's find out.' Their faces moved closer and then the phone began ringing, breaking the spell.

Bo pressed his forehead against hers, sighing with aggravation. The phone went on ringing and letting her go, he got up to answer it. 'Hello.' he said.

'Bo, what's all this between you and your wife?' Victor's barking voice snapped over the line. 'She arrived here with Ciara and her bags and told me you were calling it quits, is that true?'

'She's the one calling it quits, not me.' Bo said coldly.

'So, that's the reason why you're just sitting there feeling sorry for yourself instead of coming after her like a real husband should...'

Bo glanced at Carly sitting on the couch and a great wave of anger ran through him. 'You're the last man on earth who can talk about being a real husband, or father for that matter!' he shouted. 'Don't you talk to me about what I should or shouldn't do! Instead ask Hope why she's choosing to end our marriage or better yet ask Justin why the hell he's so anxious to help my wife every time... that's what you should be asking, you sanctimonious old bastard! Don't you call me dishing out orders... just go to hell!'

Clarice winced as he slammed the phone back on the cradle. 'Bo...' she said getting up.

'I'm sorry... I'm sorry; Victor brings that out of me all the time.' Bo shook his head as he paced the room, shaking with anger. 'He just asked me to come over and pick up Hope; he doesn't even care to know the details... you screwed up, come fix it! I'm tired, damn tired!'

'Bo... listen to me.' she went up to him, turning him round to face her. 'Please, calm down. You know you didn't do anything wrong, you know none of this is your fault so for God sake don't let Victor make you lose control like this.' she pleaded. 'Listen... go to her now.'

'No way. I wanted to follow your advice before but now I just can't. Hope's done this before, many times! Every time things got rough she shut me out and leave! And Mr Fix-it is always told to do what he can. Not anymore, Clarice... not anymore!' he shouted, his voice trembling.

Clarice felt her eyes fill with tears at the sight of his pain. 'It's okay... it's going to be okay...' she whispered as he pulled her against him, resting her head against his shoulder. Bo stroked her hair, moving his hands down to rub her back then encircling her waist tightly; desperately drawing strength from her, forcing his anger to die down.

'It's going to be okay... just believe that.'

Bo kissed her forehead as she spoke, moving down to her mouth but this time she drew away. 'I don't think that's a good idea.' She said quietly.

'Clarice...' he began but she shook her head.

'Bo, you're a wonderful man... a special man.' she said seriously. And I like you very much, enough not to complicate your life. You're probably feeling vulnerable and lonely right now and it will be easy to... give in to temptation.'

'Maybe I want to.' He said quietly, rubbing her lower lip with his thumb.

She smiled sadly. 'But we both know it would be wrong.' She gently pulled away from his arms. 'And we're friends; we can't ruin that... can we?'

Bo kept his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. 'Sure... we can't. You probably think I'm a jerk...'

'No... never.' She assured him. 'I don't think that at all. Just... try and make your peace with Hope. Not because you're expected to, but because you deserve to be happy.' She patted his cheek. 'I should go now.'

Bo sighed as she turned away and picked up her jacket and purse, feeling bereft all over again and so confused by his conflicting feelings. 'I'll see you later... maybe I'll drop by Mum's later, let you know how my talk with Hope went.'

'Actually... I'm moving out. I found an apartment, down by the docks.'

'The Warehouse?' Bo asked, following her to the door. The once dilapidated place was purchased ten years ago and converted to an apartment building.

She nodded. 'It's a loft. High ceilings... lots of space and a very nice view of the river. As soon as I saw it, I felt right at home. Though I am going to miss living with Caroline, she's been so sweet to me the whole time I was recovering.' She smiled. 'And everyone in your family too... with the way they came to visit me and everything. I especially enjoyed meeting Mrs. Horton.'

'Yeah, she's a wonderful woman. She told me she enjoyed meeting you too.' Actually, Alice cried when she narrated to Bo how she'd hoped being in her house might jog Carly's memory but still nothing. He'd consoled her, urging her to be patient.

'You too.' Bo stood at the door, watching her as she walked down the path; wishing she'd stayed longer... and more. Closing the door, he resolved not to take her advice. He wasn't going to run after Hope like he always did... if she wanted to see him; she knew where to find him. It took two people to make a marriage work and this time they were going to do it together. The phone rang again as he picked up the empty bottles but he didn't bother answering it.

Alone, Clarice wiped her tears, sniffling. There was a lot of truth in the adage, _Good guys finish last._ To forget her misery, she went to buy a dress to wear for Victor Kiriakis' party.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hope spent a miserable night in her father-in-law's mansion, not seeing the luxurious decor or feeling the soft comfort of the Queen's size bed she and Ciara shared; only her own house and the bed she and Bo shared. Leaving him had broken her heart and she'd sobbed the whole time she unpacked, Ciara safely in the living room fussed over by Victor and Justin. But however painful a Band-Aid was, it had to be pulled off sometime.

Sighing, she switched on the table lamp and looked at the time; 1:15 a.m. She looked at her sleeping daughter, curled up with Tommy Bear; her breathing regular and steady. She got out of bed, taking care not to wake her and slipped her robe on before leaving the room, closing the door silently behind her.

Entering the huge kitchen, Hope looked round helplessly before raiding one of the restaurant-type fridges for milk. She jumped when she turned round to see Justin standing at the door. 'Are you okay?' he asked, entering. 'I heard your door close.' 'I couldn't sleep... thought I would make myself some cocoa. If I can find it that is.'

'I'll make it, you sit down.' Justin took the milk from her and Hope obeyed, not having the strength to argue with him. Within minutes, a hot mug was in front of her. 'Thank you.' she said, taking a sip. Justin sat next to her at the kitchen table, holding his own mug between his hands. 'Talk to me, Hope. What is it?'

Hope sighed. 'Maybe I was too hasty... leaving like that. I should've talked things out like Bo wanted to.'

Justin said nothing, allowing her to talk.

'But on the other hand he'll just insist that he was right and make me look like a childish fool who doesn't know what she's talking about... and I do know what I'm talking about!' her voice was tight with anger. 'I did this for me and Ciara... if that makes me selfish...'

Justin took her hand firmly. 'You're not selfish, Hope. You're not, alright? But you still love Bo; I think you should give him another chance.'

'I've run out of chances, maybe that's what gave me the strength to leave. I'm tired... very tired and I just want some stability, not more drama.'

'I'm not saying this because Bo's my cousin; I'm saying it because you're obviously not happy without Bo and you're making yourself more miserable denying him another chance. And after what happened to Ciara, she needs both her parents. Have you considered that?'

'I have but I also need Ciara to be safe and I need for Bo to see that I'm done being ignored in matters that concern our family. It's easy for him to say move on and forget but I can't.' Hope's pretty dark eyes met with Justin. 'Will you help me with my divorce?'

'Now Hope, I can't do that.' Justin shook his head. 'Bo's my cousin, he'll never forgive me. Besides... are you sure you want to end your marriage after 25 years?'

Hope bit her lip but her face was resolute. 'I'm sure.'

'I still think you should reconsider...'

'Justin!'

Justin was sorely tempted to tell Hope about Carly to see her reaction but Bo and Roman had fiercely sworn him to secrecy. It wasn't only the fact that Bo was family, since his separation from Adrienne, he'd found himself deeply attracted to Hope. Acting as her representative in a divorce wouldn't be ethical... besides, Carly was still in Salem; Bo would be free to chase her if he wanted to. It was a non win situation. Or what it? Justin thought shrewdly as he looked at Hope's drawn face. Some other lawyer could handle the divorce and then Hope will be free... for him to claim as his own at the right time.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Geez... I'm going to be the envy of every man tonight!' Roman exclaimed as Clarice let him in. 'You look sensational kiddo, very beautiful! Merry Christmas.'

'Thank you, kind sir, Merry Christmas to you too.' She laughed, accepting the rose and parcel he handed to her. 'You don't look bad yourself.'

'To tell you the truth, I hate when I have to put on monkey suits.' He grimaced, looking round. 'This place is great.'

'Thank you.' She'd had a fellow ISA agent in New York ship some things from her apartment there; including her big screen T.V and home theatre system. The living room was decorated for Christmas, the tall Christmas tree in the middle of the room; the colourful lights over the branches.

'I see you've got a lot of presents.' He said, seeing the several boxes under the tree.

'Yes, from the family and a lot of guys at the station. Let's see what you got me...' she unwrapped the parcel and smiled at the green cashmere sweater. 'Thank you, it's beautiful.'

'I figured it matched your eyes.' He grinned. 'So, you're set?'

'Yeah, I'm ready.' She picked up her purse and fur coat. The parcel from Bo was still under the tree, she will open it tomorrow. She'd sent him his the day before and Hope and Ciara's to the Kiriakis mansion. She wondered if he and Hope had finally patched things up... for his sake she hoped yes.

Roman helped her slip into her coat, wondering how tonight will turn out. He'd noticed the way Bo's eyes followed Carly about at the station; If he wasn't careful, things could get very, very complicated and Carly will be the one to get the brunt of it. In his own way, he was fond of Carly and didn't want her to get hurt... Bo and Hope should simply get over their differences and stop acting like children.

:::::::::::::::::::

Hope wore a deep blue satin dress which was a perfect foil to her raven black hair. Bo immediately went over to her as soon as she arrived with Justin but the conversation was stilted and Justin hovering near didn't help. Bo longed to place his fist on his cousin's face but the last thing he wanted was to start a brawl; he wasn't the 'ready- for-anything' biker anymore.

'You okay bro?' asked Phillip as Bo sat next to him at the bar.

'Sure, just peachy.' Bo said coolly. 'A seltzer please.' He said to the bartender.

'Come on Bo, you've got to straighten things out with Hope somehow... the two of you are behaving like strangers.'

'Will everybody stop telling me what to do? What the hell does everybody think I've been doing?' Bo snapped irritably. Any talk he'd had with Hope since she moved out had ended in disaster; more and more they were further apart.

'Hey calm down... I didn't mean anything.' Phillip said. 'I was just trying to help.'

'Hi Bo.' Chloe Lane, Phillip's girlfriend appeared, linking her arm through Phillip's.

'Hi Chloe... you look lovely.' Bo said, without much interest as he sipped his drink. He was depressed and wished he was elsewhere. This has to be the worst Christmas of his life.

Chloe exchanged a glance with Phillip before asking tentatively, 'Would you like to dance, Bo?'

Bo smiled at her faintly but shook his head. 'I don't think so, but thanks.'

Phillip shook his head at him as Chloe moved to talk to someone. 'Come on man... it's Christmas, cheer up.'

'Mmm... exactly what can cheer me up right now?'

Phillip opened his mouth to reply but instead he looked over Bo's shoulder, his eyes widening. 'Wow, check out Clarice... she looks hot!'

Bo immediately turned and did a double-take as Carly entered the room on Roman's arm; utterly beautiful in a simple yet elegant deep ruby silk evening dress, strapless with a long matching stole, her hair beautifully arranged. He watched her exchanging kisses with Caroline and greeting Victor who, to his amazement and horror, took her hand and kissed it.

'Man oh man... now that is what I call a beautiful lady!' Phillip whistled, his eyes on stalks. He wasn't the only one, several men in the room were looking at her; luckily the business associates invited were not people that knew Carly back in the day or there would have been trouble.

'You look lovely, Clarice; thanks for the presents... Ciara really loves her satin pillow.' Hope was saying as Bo appeared. 'it was very thoughtful.'

'It was nothing... oh hi Bo.' Clarice turned to him.

Roman cleared his throat, waiting for the axe to fall as Justin too appeared, taking Hope's arm possessively. Hope stiffened at the sight of Bo, walking away.

'Hi Clarice, you look beautiful. Hey Roman.' Bo tried to speak casually but seeing Carly in a dress for the first time in years was just too overwhelming.

'Hey Bo. So...' Roman inclined his head at Hope's direction. 'How's it going so far?'

'She just walked away with Justin. What does that tell you?' Bo said, his tone bitter.

'Oh...' Clarice said, distressed. 'This can't go on between you two, it just can't.'

'I'm at my wit's end, Clarice, I don't know what to do anymore.'

'In time Bo... don't worry too much about it.' Roman said encouragingly. 'Hope can't stay mad forever. It's Christmas, time for miracles.'

Before Bo could speak, Victor appeared again, looking distinguished in his tux. 'May I have this dance, Clarice? You don't mind, Roman?'

'Sorry, the lady already promised me one.' Bo said smoothly, taking Clarice by the arm and leading her to the dance floor. Roman shrugged his shoulders in defeat and moved over to the bar while Victor watched his son and ex wife, deep suspicion on his face. If Bo planned on having an affair with Carly, amnesia or not; he will tell Hope everything- Bo was not going to get involved with Carly Manning a second time. She made her choice when she left him for Alamain and she had no rights to him now. Hope was really being stupid letting him roam free. Caroline, Mickey and Maggie, Abe and Lexie watched the couple, very worried. The younger members of the family watched, fascinated. Hope saw Bo leading Clarice to the dance floor and stood still, her eyes narrowed.

Bo found himself relaxing as he moved to the music, Carly clasped in his arms. She smelled great and she looked so beautiful... the most beautiful woman in the room. 'Nice dress.' He smiled down at her.

'Thank your niece Sami, she recommended the boutique.' She smiled back. 'You look very handsome by the way.'

He chuckled. 'Thanks. And thanks for the antique model ship; it's really great. How did you know I'm into sailing?'

'At the hospital, when you bent over me; I saw the St. Michael medal you were wearing. Patron saint of mariners... it was easy.'

He chuckled again. 'I was in the merchant marines, a long time ago.'

'Caroline told me; she also said you were a private eye before joining the force. Seems like you've always had a thirst for adventure, huh?'

'Back then, now I'm old, boring and decrepit.'

'You're an idiot... like that can ever be true.' She laughed. She caught Hope staring at them from across the room and she sobered immediately. 'Maybe we should stop dancing...'

'Maybe you should pretend she's not there, we're not doing anything wrong.' He tightened his grip on her.

'Maybe not but she's still your wife. The bigger person is the one who makes the most effort Bo. I want you to be happy, please... try again with her.'

Hope watched them silently, her heart filled with sudden resentment towards Clarice Parker. Sure she owed her Ciara's life as well as her own but the way Bo's face was all relaxed as he danced with her made her hackles rise. What were they talking about anyway?

'Care to dance?' Roman asked.

'No... I think I'll sit this one out.' Hope mumbled, picking at her skirt.

Roman sighed, exasperated. 'Hope, stop pretending it doesn't bother you that Bo's dancing with Clarice.'

'It doesn't bother me. Clarice is a friend of the family.'

'But nonetheless, it does bother you, I know you Hope Brady! No matter what you feel, you still love that guy over there. Are you going over there or not?'

Hope hesitated, then shook her head. 'Not. If Bo wants to put himself out there just to make me jealous, let him. I don't care.'

'For God sake Hope...'

'Hope, dance?' Justin appeared, after leading Brady's girlfriend Madison back to him. Without hesitation, Hope took his hand and followed him to the dance floor. Roman watched his brother, bracing himself to see what would happen. Bo saw Hope in Justin's arms but somehow the anger he felt wasn't as strong as it was earlier. Instead, he kept his eyes on Carly's face, very glad she was with him.

After a while he reluctantly handed her over to his brother and sat at the bar, watching them. To his irritation, Victor joined him. 'You're playing with fire.' He quietly remarked.

'When I need your advice, I'll ask for it.' Bo growled.

'She's not for you, Bo. She doesn't even remember you and you and Hope have played this cat and mouse game long enough. Whether you want to believe it or not, your welfare' s very important to me.'

Bo's smile was grim and cynical. 'Sure... like years ago when you tried to kill me and that woman over there almost died!'

Victor glared at him. 'For God sake Bo...'

'Don't you even try it. You and Larry... you both did all you could to harm Carly and me; you must've been so glad when I lost her. She doesn't remember me but she saved Hope and your grand daughter...yet you still hate her for loving me instead of you. Who's the real person holding a grudge? Lay off me Victor, the only reason why I'm your son- by default- is because my mother made the biggest mistake of her life. I forbid you to discuss Carly with me and one more time... stay away from her or else.'

He stalked away to the French windows, suddenly needing some air.

::::::::::

Clarice found herself washing hands beside Hope in the ladies' room. 'Hope...' she began. 'About this trouble you have with Bo...'

'I rather not talk about it with you.' Hope replied quietly. 'It's a very complicated situation.'

'It doesn't have to be if you just talk it out with him. He's hurting, can't you see?' Clarice insisted. 'And I'm sure Ciara misses her father.'

'I'm not going to deny him access to Ciara and I'd appreciate it if you just stay out of it.'

'Hope...'

Hope looked at her, her expression unyielding. 'Clarice, I owe you my life... I'll never forget that but please... butt out. It doesn't concern you, okay?'

 _Fool_... Clarice thought angrily, her hands balled into fists as Hope swept past her. It was like talking to a brick wall! How long was she going to keep this behaviour up? Grabbing her purse she went back to the ball room, her eyes searching for Bo. He wasn't around. She glanced at Roman but he was dancing with Caroline; he won't miss her for now. She made her way to the French windows and sure enough he was there, watching the stairs, his hands in his pocket. 'Hi again.'

He turned and his eyes lit up. 'Hey you.'

'How are you holding up?' she asked quietly, closing the window behind her.

He shrugged. 'I feel like I'm picking my way through a fog, still trying to find the light.'

'Bo, I'm so sorry; I even tried talking to her just now...'

'You did?' he asked, startled. 'What happened?'

Clarice shrugged. 'She more or less told me to mind my own business. The best thing you can do is just give her more time.'

'I don't know about that, Clarice.'

'Why not? You love her!'

'I do. But to be honest... I'm tired. I'm tired of being kicked aside and shut out. Much as it hurts... maybe this is the only solution, that we call it quits.'

'No...' she whispered. 'There has to be a way... you can't give up just like that.'

'This isn't giving up, more like-quoting Hope- calling it a day.' His face was bleak.

Clarice shook her head and in spite of her resolve, she touched Bo's face.

Despite his sadness, Bo pressed his hand against hers; emotions racing yet again. 'Come here...' he whispered, taking her by the arms and drawing her to him. Clarice wanted to protest but the look in those brown eyes rendered her speechless and weak. Her arms went round his neck as he encircled her waist and their lips finally met.

 _She felt the same, tasted the same..._ Bo's mouth devoured hers hotly and possessively, held back desire unleashed as he pressed her soft body against his. Clarice kissed him back, running her fingers through his hair; finally giving in to her feelings. They kissed and kissed some more.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The burden of what she'd done haunted Clarice for days after the party; she was unable to think straight or sleep well. Every time she closed her eyes she only saw Bo. Bo kissing her, Bo _touching_ her. And she kept having that strange recurring dream, which totally confused her. She didn't understand it, neither did she understand just why that kiss with Bo had felt so mind blowing familiar, why being in his arms felt like she's always been connected with him. She loved him so very much but he didn't belong to her. He was married and still in love with Hope and for his sake and her own, she couldn't have an affair with him.

Checking her gun before slipping it into the holster on her waist, she glanced at the expensive crystal figurine Bo gave her for Christmas, placed on the nightstand next to her bed. It was of a woman in a ball gown, a fan in her hand and a tiara on her flowing curls. It held a strange significance to her but she was yet to know what it was, somehow it had something to do with her. Just as Bo felt like a part of her that's been missing for so long. Sighing, Clarice grabbed her keys and purse, letting herself out of the loft. Since the kiss, she could barely look Bo in the eye much less talk to him freely as before; these days she avoided being alone with him. And judging by the determined look Bo gave her in response, she knew she won't be able to dodge him much longer. Hope was still on leave; at least she didn't have to deal with her, she was very sure her guilt would be clearly written all over her face.

Parking at the space reserved to her, she walked through the station's double doors, responding to several greetings; too preoccupied to notice the appreciative looks or hear the muted whistles from the officers as she passed them. Getting to her office she opened her door and she jumped on seeing Bo sitting on her chair, his feet resting on her desk. 'Good morning Clarice.' He said, without smiling.

 _And here's the day of reckoning..._ she thought ruefully as she closed the door behind her. 'Good morning, Bo. What are you doing here?' she asked, taking off her tailored jacket.

Bo surveyed the outfit Carly was wearing, an outfit that was probably her idea of severe but in his opinion it was most certainly not; a silk white top over black pants tucked into matching knee boots; her hair flowing down her shoulders. She looked absolutely beautiful.

'I figured it was best to wait here instead of sending for you and getting a whole bunch of excuses instead.' Was the flat reply. 'You've been avoiding me since the party and I want an explanation.' Rising, he walked over to her, staring her down. 'Right now where you can't duck me.'

Sighing heavily she turned away but he grabbed her arm, turning her round to face him. 'You and I gonna have to talk about it sometime.' He insisted.

'Okay... let's talk about it.' Clarice said, folding her arms. 'I'm been advising you to work things out with Hope and we ended up kissing. How can you act like we didn't do anything wrong?'

'Because we didn't do anything wrong and I can't believe you're trying to insinuate that kiss was a mistake!'

'It _was_ a mistake! My God... you're married and you're... you're my friend. I'm supposed to be helping you fix your marriage not come on to you!'

'Oh Clarice... give me a break!' Bo said, exasperated. 'You didn't come on to me and you know it! If there's anyone who should feel guilty it should be me and guess what... no guilt!'

'So what, you kissed me to get back at Hope?' she snapped. 'Is that why you don't feel guilty?'

Bo stared at her, hurt beyond measure. 'Is that what you think?'

'Bo, it's obvious... more than obvious that you love her very much. You're so lost without her so why the hell did you kiss me other than... where are you going?' she asked as Bo walked round her.

Bo held on to the doorknob in a vice-grip, struggling to rein in his anger at her words. When he'd kissed Carly that night, all the years without her had vanished in one big swoop; caressing her body brought back more hot, wonderful memories... making love to her on the boat every night in particular. There was no use denying it, he wanted her badly and not just physically. But she'd just stung him by her insinuation that he was using her as a means of revenge.

'What... I'm supposed to stand here and listen to you belittle what we shared? You think I'm that shallow that I would actually use you that way? Well, fine; maybe it was a mistake... a mistake that won't happen again, I'm out of here!' he walked out, slamming the door behind him. Clarice winced, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks. Her first impulse was to run after him but she didn't. Maybe it was best if he stayed angry with her; as long as he was, it would motivate him to go back to Hope... as much as the thought broke her heart. Sniffling, she sat at the edge of her desk, very sad.

Bo was angry and sad as he walked to his own office; sad at what Carly said and angry he'd snapped at her that way. What else would she think; he was the married one who missed his wife. But he'd known what he was doing when he took her in his arms that night, he'd wanted to kiss her because the feelings she'd been invoking in him had grown stronger and he needed to know what they were once and for all. And that need made him miss Hope less and less; the idea of fighting the divorce not at all strong. Hope wanted to get rid of him after all he'd done to be a good husband and father... so what the hell had he done wrong by kissing his ex?

Sighing, he sat at his desk and began the day's work.

Roman came into his office a few hours later to pick up a file, noticing the brooding look on his brother's face. 'You okay, little brother?' he asked, immediately concerned.

'I'm great, just great.' Bo muttered. Roman shook his head.

'You've been acting weird since the Christmas party, man. Give... what's the matter? Is it Hope?'

Bo opened his mouth to reply then realised if he said yes, he'll be lying through his teeth. Hope wasn't the one he'd been thinking of with longing all day and it no longer surprised him these days. He wanted Carly in his arms and he know knew what he'd been feeling.

'No... it's not Hope. Matter of fact, I got served yesterday.'

'Already?'

'Yeah... already.'

Roman was baffled at how nonchalant Bo sounded. 'Aren't you going to talk to her?'

'Aren't you going to talk to her... aren't you going to talk to her...' Bo sing songed with heavy sarcasm and disgust. 'One more time big brother... what the hell have I been doing since she moved out with our daughter, getting a manicure and shopping for shoes?'

'Okay Bo, there's no need to be...'

'I've got the right to sound anyway I like because I'm sick of everybody asking me that and treating Hope like she's the victim; what reason does she have to divorce me, after everything I've done for her!' Bo shouted angrily, getting up from his chair. 'None, Rom! 25 years doesn't guarantee happiness and Hope's not been happy with me for a long time; and I've done nothing but try to talk to her, make her listen to me! And all I've got is coldness, rejection! What reason do I have to cling on to her, tell me that!'

Roman, in point of fact, was unable to find a reason. 'I'm sorry, Bo... believe me I am. I guess that's what we've all been doing... not considering your own feelings.'

'Not everyone, exactly.' Bo's face softened a bit. 'Carly feels Hope and I should be together because we still love each other; that love can solve anything.'

'And isn't that true? That's one of the reasons why I feel you should fight this divorce instead of letting Hope go. I just think you might regret it later.'

Bo shook his head. 'I don't think so. If Hope's still in love with me, I think she'll be the one with the regrets.'

'Why?' Roman suspected the answer but he might still be wrong. All through the party, Bo never took his eyes off Carly and she was so quiet when he'd driven her home. Knowing them both very well, it was unintentional but to be expected.

Bo looked at Roman, his smile faint. 'Because... I'm falling in love with Carly all over again.'

::::::::::::::::::::

Clarice pulled herself together enough to work and in a few hours she was immersed in the files on her desk; managing not to think about Bo or the hurt look on his face. She loved him but she couldn't possibly come between him and his family... there was Ciara to consider too, she couldn't forget that.

Finally glancing at her watch she realised she'd lost track of time; it was lunchtime and she was rather hungry. Sighing, she filed the documents and put them neatly away.

'Knock, Knock...' she looked up, frowning when she saw who it was. 'What do you want?' she asked coldly.

Justin raised his eyebrows as he closed the door behind. 'Hello to you too. What's with the icy greeting?'

'This is a police station, not a country club. Everyone here's busy with important things, including me.'

'So you think I don't work hard for a living like everyone here?' Justin asked, affronted. 'Why are you picking on me?'

Clarice glared at him. 'Say what you want to say and go.'

Justin shrugged, watching her carefully as he sat down opposite her. Carly as an ISA agent was still so new to him; while she was as beautiful as ever there was something hard about her eyes that wasn't there years ago, probably because of the physical and psychological abuse at Lawrence's hands... which she still didn't remember. He wondered what Bo felt about this new Carly and if it could be used to his advantage. He had seen the way Bo looked at her at the party while they were dancing; a look of raw hunger and longing on his face which surprised and pleased him. It was only a matter of time he acted on it and Carly will definitely let him; this wasn't the old Carly who would rather die than sleep with a married man. But then again, she was still technically married to Victor when she started sleeping with Bo.

'I wanted to talk about Bo and Hope.' He said, startling her.

'What about them?' she asked warily, putting down her pen.

'Their marriage's finally hit the rocks; I think you're aware of that.'

'I wouldn't say that, they are going through a rough patch, that's all.' she said, wondering what he was getting at. 'What business is it of yours anyway?'

'Why are you attacking me this way?' he asked surprised.

'You want to why, I don't like you!' Clarice rose from her seat, furious. 'I don't like the way you behaved with Hope at the party, like she was your property! You're Bo's cousin; you're supposed to bring them together, not hover round her like a phantom! Why would you now come here to discuss them?'

Justin got up too, angry at being spoken to this way. 'Hope wants out of this marriage and if she wants me around, fine with me. You should talk... you and Bo at the party? You both looked like you were ready to do it in front of everybody!'

'Get out of my office Justin Kiriakis, before I hurt you.' Clarice said, her voice ominously low.

Justin backed off, seeing the glint in those green eyes. 'Wait... wait... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. I only came here to talk.'

'Yeah... I have a pretty good idea what you wanted to talk about!' Clarice pushed her chair savagely aside, Justin stepping backwards as she walked to him. 'You obviously want Hope for yourself don't you? And you thought you could come here and persuade me to entrap Bo somehow so that Hope will definitely divorce him and you'll what... console her?'

'Why would I want you to entrap Bo?' Justin snapped defensively. He should have known profiler Carly would put two and two together but she was almost right. He'd wanted her to encourage Bo since he obviously wanted her, not entrap him. 'Because you insinuated that I would like to sleep with him... by that stupid accusation earlier! Just who do you think you are, trying to hurt your cousin like that?'

'I'm _not_ trying to hurt Bo! But he shouldn't hold on to a marriage that no longer exist, Hope wants her freedom and Bo needs to just move on.'

'What would you know about what she wants?'

' Because she told me! She's tired of Bo ruining her life and putting her children in danger. He didn't care about Hope's feelings when he almost got Ciara killed by offering that stupid reward...'

Carly's fist caught him on the nose, his neck almost snapping from the impact. Clutching it, he looked at Carly's angry white face, speechless.

'Say whatever you like about Bo... but not in front of me, ever again.' Her voice shook with rage. 'Bo's a good man... a good husband and father and if Hope wants to throw that away by believing otherwise, her loss! You're a despicable human being for taking her side and I want you out of my sight right now. Get out!'

 _Boy... Bo and new Carly are definitely made for each other; the way they handle matters with their fists!_ Justin thought ruefully as he silently obeyed, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket to staunch the bleeding. By defending Bo, she'd given herself away and it was only a matter of time before she and Bo succumbed to temptation and they will. And then Bo won't have an excuse to stand in Hope's way.

Clarice rubbed her arms, agitated but not sorry; he more than deserved it. 'Son of a bitch...' She muttered then spun round as the door opened again. It was Bo, an odd expression on his face as he closed the door behind him. 'What happened? I just saw Justin leaving with a hand to his nose.'

Clarice found herself unable to speak. Bo took her hand, examining the red knuckles. 'You hit him?'

' _I hate him_.' she whispered angrily. 'He said horrible things about you, I wanted to kill him... he has no right...'

'Hey it's okay, calm down...' Bo pulled her into his arms, tucking her face into his neck; filled with renewed optimism. He was on his way to apologise to her when he'd seen Justin, he didn't give a damn whatever Justin had said about him, he cared more about Carly's reaction and he needed to explain himself.

'I'm so sorry for what I said to you earlier... I feel so awful.' She whispered.

'Don't worry about it.' Bo held her tighter; stroking her hair. 'I actually came here to apologise for snapping at you. But I'm not the least bit sorry I kissed you.' He pulled back slightly to brush back strands of hair from her forehead. 'I don't regret anything.'

'Bo, listen...'

'No, Clarice, you listen... hear me out.' Bo made her sit down on the chair, while he sat at the edge of her desk, holding her hand. 'When I kissed you, didn't it occur to you that I did it because I have feelings for you? I kissed you, I saw you... not Hope. I wasn't thinking about her at all, only you.'

'Bo, I'm flattered but I can't come between you and Hope.' She whispered. 'I can't be the other woman.'

Bo looked at her steadily. 'A lot of things came between me and Hope, long before you came to Salem, Clarice. And what's going on between us has nothing to do with you. She wants to end it and I'm not going to stop her this time; because I know it's for the best. If we continue holding on to a cracking marriage, we'll just going to end up hating each other and that won't be good for Ciara or Shawn Douglas. I deserve some constancy in my life and after we kissed; more than ever I knew I was going to find it with you. And with the way you kissed me back you can't tell me you didn't feel anything.'

Clarice bit her lip, her hand still clasped in his; feeling her cheeks go warm as she blushed red. 'I don't know what to say.'

'I really want to be with you, Clarice. Is that so bad?'

'Suppose Hope suddenly changes her mind tomorrow?' Clarice insisted, refusing to believe what Bo was saying yet thrilled at the idea of being with him. 'I mean... you two have been married for so long and you've only known me for two months, I'm a stranger.'

 _Oh, princess... if you only knew,_ thought Bo as she freed her hand and got up, turning away from him. He rose, walked up to stand behind her; pushing back hair from her neck.

'I think it's time we stopped holding back what we feel about each other, Clarice.' He said softly, moving his hands down to squeeze her shoulders. When she didn't speak, he gently turned her round to face him. She stared at him, her expression nakedly vulnerable. 'Bo, I just don't know...' she began then his warm mouth covered hers in another bruising kiss. Forgetting her reservations for the moment, Clarice wrapped her arms round his neck eagerly responding to the wild hunger of his mouth; electrified by his touch. Keeping his mouth fastened on hers, Bo gently walked Carly backwards, lifted her and pinned her against the wall; her legs automatically wrapping round him. Using one hand to unbutton her top, he broke the kiss to run his lips down the side of her neck, drawing a gasp from her as he gently kneaded a breast. He was feeling very hard; in a matter of seconds they will end up on the floor naked and he was more than game.

Clarice moaned as his lips moved to the top of her breasts; the urgent, searching pressure of his mouth taking her breath away, the shudder of passion running through her body as she allowed Bo touch her, to rain kisses all over her face.

'Bo...' she whispered.

'Yeah?' he whispered back.

'Your gun's digging into my ribs.' She pushed at his shoulders gently.

'Oh, sorry...' he set her down but kept his arms round her waist, his eyes moving over her flushed face. 'So...'

'So...' she echoed softly as she buttoned her blouse. 'What do we do now?'

He knew exactly what he wanted to do to her, over and over again. Roman had sighed heavily at his announcement. 'I knew this would happen sooner or later.'

'From the moment she walked in here that night after sixteen years I just felt so drawn to her, it's a force bigger than me.'

'Yeah and I can guess what it is... that weird connection you two always had between you.' Roman pointed out. 'Remember what Professor Moore told you when you asked him how Mayan Symbolic Weddings were performed, he also told you why it's done in the first place... to join a man and a woman as spiritual partners.'

Bo had stared at him in astonishment. 'You remember that?'

'Of course I remember, it's a very deep thing!' Roman retorted. 'It's still there, it was never broken, was it? That's the reason why you can't help wanting her, besides Carly being so...' he shrugged ruefully, 'you know. I can't help feeling a little jealous to tell the truth.' His face suddenly sobered. 'And speaking of which, now that the situation's changed, you know you're going to have to tell Carly the truth. If you two get closer she might start getting memory flashes she doesn't understand and it will be your job to fill the blanks and give her answers. And I'm still willing to help you, okay?'

Bo had nodded, hugging his brother in gratitude. Now he smiled tenderly down at her. 'We formally begin dating, of course. I sense you don't want to rush things, right?'

'Right.' she smiled back.

'And you don't have to worry about Hope changing her mind because she's already filed for a divorce. Even if she did... I'm right where I want to be, with you.' he caressed her cheek with one hand. 'To keep tongues from wagging at least until after the divorce is final, we'll be as discreet as we can; I won't have anybody talking trash about you. Lucky for us...' his smile grew wider, 'I know a nice, intimate restaurant we can go to tonight to start off our new relationship. Great food, good music to listen...' he kissed her again, 'and dance to.'

Clarice chuckled, overwhelmed and so happy. 'I still can't believe this... this is insane.'

'Just go with it Clarice, don't think... just let go.' They kissed more sensually, unable to get enough of each other.

::::::::::::::::::

The place he took her to after work was small, dark and intimate like he promised. After finding a table, their orders were taken by a waitress. Bo picked up a breadstick from the basket and fed Carly, accepting one in return from her. For the first time in years he felt completely free; a heavy weight lifted off his shoulders. It wasn't just the old connection that made him fall back in love with Carly but because she was simply Carly, unchanged even with the memory loss which he will definitely put right no matter how long it took.

'I'm so glad to have you with me.' he said as they toasted after dinner.

'Me too. And you know... I have a confession to make.' She said, reaching out to rub his cheek. 'When I first saw you the night I brought Ciara back I felt this strange thing in me; like we've always been connected.'

Bo's heart skipped a beat. 'Really?' he asked.

'Yes, like you're my missing other half; almost as if I knew you in a past life. And when you kissed me at the party, it felt so familiar... like it wasn't even our first kiss at all, almost like you've kissed me before.' She shook her head. 'You probably think I'm crazy.'

'No... of course not.' Bo protested, trying to hide the excitement in his voice. The healing process has started... she's going to start remembering! More than ever he was very glad they were now together, he could re-enact some of their past memorable moments... that would surely help her a lot. He made a mental note to ask his mother to bring down a certain truck stored away in the attic.

'Well... I've never believed in that feeling some people experience till now; you know that weird feeling called déjà vu. This is obviously a classic case of it.'

'Well, having a sense of déjà vu doesn't make you crazy, and you're not.' Bo squeezed her hand. 'We're two people who found each other and drawn together through irresistible forces. And you want to know what I'm feeling right now?' He looked deep into her eyes. 'I love you, Clarice.'

Clarice touched his face, suddenly tears blurring her vision. 'I love you too, I've loved you from the moment I saw you. I never, ever thought this would happen.' she whispered.

'Neither did I but here we are now. Maybe we're acting like two crazy teenagers but...' he laughed softly, 'it's the most wonderful feeling.' Leaning, he kissed her deeply, massaging her neck. He broke the kiss when the other diners moved to the dance floor as another song came up, an old favourite. He got up, holding out his hand to her. 'Dance with me?' Without a word, she took his hand and he led her to the centre of the room, placing his arms round her waist, hers encircled his neck.

 _Close your eyes_

 _Give me your hand, Darling_

 _Do you feel my heart beating?_

 _Do you understand?_

 _Do you feel the same?_

 _Am I only dreaming?_

 _Is this burning an eternal flame?_

 _I believe it's meant to be, Darling_

 _I watch you when you are sleeping_

 _You belong with me_

 _Do you feel the same?_

 _Am I only dreaming?_

 _Or is this burning an eternal flame?_

Clarice felt like she was floating on air as she moved to the music in Bo's arms; still unable to believe this moment was real. Bo pressed his lips on her forehead, moving down to her cheek.

 _Say my name_

 _Sun shines through the rain_

 _My whole life so lonely_

 _You come and ease the pain_

 _I don't wanna lose this feeling_

'If this is an eternal flame, I don't want it to stop burning.' Bo said softly against her neck.

'Neither do I.' Clarice replied, moving her head to meet his lips, sensually kissing all through the rest of the song.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The men and women of the Salem Police Department gave a thunderous round of applause as Agent Clarice Parker shook hands with Abe, after receiving the distinguished medal for bravery and outstanding service for her major role in solving the kidnapping case. Clarice smiled at the cheering detectives and police officers before turning to shake hands with Bo. His warm brown eyes conveyed the reminder that they were going to have their own private celebration as planned, much later. Hoping no one noticed the blush she could feel on her cheeks, Clarice posed for the camera; the two men on either side of her. From her seat, Hope watched Bo silently, thinking how very handsome he looked in his dress uniform and once again rehearsed what she wanted to say to him as soon as she got him alone. They had bonded somewhat after the sudden death of Mickey and she'd reflected on her uncle and aunt's long and happy marriage and how they'd lived for each other which made her realise she wanted another shot at her own marriage after all. Bo of course wanted the same; Justin never confessed who slugged him but she knew Bo did it out of raging jealousy. Bo was the love of her life and she needed him to know that before the divorce was final. Motivated by that thought, she moved forward to shake hands with Clarice as she stepped off the podium, the plaque she'd also received under her arm. 'Congratulations.' she smiled.

'Thank you.' Clarice fingered the medal round her neck. 'Though as far as I know, all I did was do what anyone else would've done.'

'You did a whole lot for us so better get used to being a hero for long while.' Bo brushed back a strand of hair from Clarice's cheek, causing Hope's smile to fade a bit.

'Uh Bo, can I talk to you alone?' she said abruptly.

'What about?' Bo asked as Roman pulled Clarice away to hug her.

'It's private and very important, please. Let's find somewhere quiet to talk.'

For now Clarice was surrounded by several well-wishers so Bo nodded , following Hope out of the hall and walked with her until they got to his office. 'So what's this about?' he asked as she closed the door behind them.

Hope faced him, her expression earnest. 'I... actually I want to talk about us.'

Bo folded his arms, frowning. 'What's there to talk about? We're in the middle of divorce proceedings.'

'Yes I know and about that... we've been getting along better since we lost Mickey- I felt we've been growing closer since what happened with Dean.' When Bo didn't reply she continued, 'I realise I've been unfair with the way I've been pushing you away and I thought about what you said about me always running away when things get rough. Uncle Mickey never allowed anything to stand between him and Maggie, they always managed to work things out and they had a wonderful life. Maggie always said that Uncle Mickey was the only man she wanted to grow old and that kind of love is ever lasting. I now realise who I have, Bo; the only man I ever want to grow with... you. Maybe we had problems before I was gone and after we got back together but my love for you was always there; always.'

 _Even after you slept with Patrick?_ Bo wanted to ask but he wasn't that mean spirited. 'Hope, what are you trying to say to me?' he asked quietly.

Hope smiled. 'I want us to try again, go back to the way we were. I love you Bo.' Moving closer she slipped her arms round his neck. 'It's always been you... you didn't have to hit Justin.'

'What?' Bo asked in astonishment, pulling her arms off him.

'He didn't have to tell me it was you, I know you very well, remember? Justin's family, he's always been family and that will never change. I want us to call the whole divorce off and move back in with you. Let's both go to the judge tomorrow and tell him we're willing to give our marriage a try.'

'Hold up.' Bo moved away from Hope, unable to believe what he was hearing. 'You want to do what now?'

'Bo, weren't you listening... I said I want us to call the proceeding off, start afresh. Two people who love each like we do shouldn't throw away precious memories... or a marriage.'

'But you were willing to call it off, weren't you?' Bo said curtly. 'I made a speech sort of like this one the night you moved out with our daughter and what did you say to me?'

'Okay, if you insist on throwing that in my face I was wrong and unfair! I want us to move forward, I need you Bo, more than ever. I've missed you.' she whispered. 'I'm sorry it took Uncle Mickey's death to realise how important you are to me but it's true. So... should we stop by the judge's chambers tomorrow?'

'We're not going tomorrow or day after next, not ever.' Bo informed her, his face hard and determined.

'But Bo, I thought...'

'Well you thought wrong, Hope. I asked you not to leave, not to throw what we had away but you said we were done.'

'I was wrong!'

'You decided you didn't want to be with me any longer so I decided that you were right about us calling it a day. You may've changed your mind but I haven't; I'm going ahead with the divorce.'

Hope stared at him, stunned. 'I thought you would be happy, that this is what you wanted.'

'I never wanted you to leave me in the first place but you did.'

'Are you still bent on punishing me by bringing that up?'

'All you seem to care about is what you went through during our separation; not one thought about how I felt when you walked out that door with Ciara; how I had to put up with everybody's lectures and your rejection. Can you imagine how I felt all that time, Hope? Hurt, betrayed and filled with pain!' Bo shouted. 'This isn't about punishing you; I'm just stating clear facts. For a long time I nursed a lot of hurt and then I came to the conclusion that it actually made sense that we went our separate ways finally. You bailed when Zack died, when Kayla got shot and I waited for you to come to your senses. And then Ciara was kidnapped and you accused me of gambling with her life- something I never thought I would ever hear from the woman I loved. You said you were done; guess what...I'm done too. I'm not going to do this anymore, it's over between us.'

Hope still couldn't believe it. 'Bo, you have every right to be angry with me but please listen, I want us to be a family again.'

'Well, things are different now. For Ciara's and Shawn D's sakes we can be friends but if you want more, I'm afraid I can't give you that.' As he spoke, Bo knew that he meant every word. This sudden change of heart from Hope was the last thing he expected but she was far too late. He loved Carly with all his heart and soul; she was his future and nothing or nobody was going to stand in their way. And this evening he was planning on giving her a very romantic night.

'How are things different, Brady?' Hope demanded. 'Is there another woman?'

Bo didn't hesitant for a second. 'Has Justin been trashing me to you again?'

'That's not the answer to my question; is there somebody else because I can't think of any other reason why you won't give us another chance! Is there somebody else?'

Bo glared at her. 'I don't have to answer your questions because we have nothing to say to each other.' He pushed her hand off his arm. 'Excuse me.'

'Brady, don't walk out on me, we're not finished!' Hope prevented him from opening the door. 'You can't leave like this.'

Sighing exasperatedly, Bo turned to face her squarely. 'There's nothing left to say.'

'You're willing to let us go... just like that? What do you mean things are different?'

'Hope, I don't want to do this with you. We're only going to end up screaming at each other and end up getting nowhere. Just accept the fact that we're never getting back together and the healthiest thing we can do is move on with our lives and do our best to get along.' He reached for the door knob but Hope placed a firm hand against the door. 'You aren't going anywhere until you explain what you mean when you said things were different now.' Hope's face was cold.

'Hope...'

'Right now, Brady. I can keep us here all day if I have to.'

'Alright, if you don't want me to spare your feelings and get tough with you.' Bo faced her, determined to make himself clear and get out of the room so he could steal a few minutes alone with Carly before they meet at The Warehouse later for their romantic night. 'For a long time I wanted you back with me and start over... forget about what happened. But feelings change and mine have. I love you but not the way I once did.'

'That's not true...' Hope stuttered, her voice shaking.

'Face it Hope, we've outgrown each other!' Bo snapped. 'I'm done being the one chasing after you trying to fix our marriage and wait for you to decide whether you want us to stay together or not. This time; I'm jumping ship before I sink any further.'

'Bo, come on... you can't mean this!' Hope pleaded.

'Listen to me, Hope and listen good because I'm not planning on having this conversation again; it's over! The divorce proceedings gone through far for us to do anything about it anyway and I need some stability in my life for once!' Bo didn't want to be cruel but she'd asked for it.

'But I'm willing to fix it this time and it's because I love you.' Hope pressed on, willing for his face to soften and take her in his arms. 'I've never loved anyone as much as I love you Bo. Can't you forgive me?'

'There's nothing to forgive Hope. It's just too late for us.' Bo stared her down, unmoved. 'I'm sorry but there it is. Excuse me.'

Hope waited for him to close the door behind her before giving way to tears. Bo heard the sound of her crying but kept on walking, firmly turning away from the past. Falling back in love with Carly had surprised him but he had no regrets; if Lawrence and Vivian hadn't taken her away from him, she would've been his wife, Hope's sudden return regardless. Carly wouldn't have bailed from any rough patch nor would've given Patrick the time of day. He knew where his heart lay and he was more than happy now. He was sorry Hope was upset but he wasn't going to allow her to make him feel guilty.

Carly was standing at her desk in her office, going through a file. 'Hey... hey... you know very well you aren't supposed to do any work today.' He admonished, slipping his arms round her.

She smiled, holding on to the lapels of his jacket. 'I'm not working, just going over a few things.'

'Well that's good, because I won't have you get too tired for what I got planned for us tonight.'

'Which I still don't know exactly! Come on, the suspense is killing me!' Carly pleaded. 'Please... not even one little hint?'

'No... no... you're going to have to wait till the exact time.' Bo stroked her hair, smiling down at the green eyes twinkling at him before kissing her deeply, feeling her arms slip round his neck. As promised they'd been discreet, only Roman knew they were a couple and he'd loyally kept their secret. Keeping his hands off her turned out more difficult than he thought possible, reminding him of how they'd started years ago. Not that they'd planned to wait that long after his illness but they'd battled Victor and the various obstacles he'd thrown their way. Not this time though.

Clarice broke the kiss, rubbing his lower lip with her thumb. 'We'll have to lock the door and draw the blinds if we keep this up, you know.' She murmured. Being with him and everything about him felt so surprisingly familiar to her but instead of putting it down as mere déjà vu, she figured it was because he was the soul mate she's been searching for all her lonely life. He made her so very happy that she wanted to shout it from the rooftops and she couldn't wait to make love to him at last and spend the rest of her life with him; after she had a word with her superiors when the time came.

'I'm game if you are.' he whispered back, pressing his forehead against hers. Knowing full well he was teasing, she grinned, shaking her head. 'Yeah right... our first time on my desk.'

'What... you think I can't do it?' he growled, pushing her backwards to plant her on the desk, moving her skirt up her thighs as he planted another heated kiss on her mouth.

Roman watched them from the door left ajar, shaking his head ruefully. 'Get a room, you two.' He murmured, shaking his head as he walked down the hall. 'Oh no...' he halted as Hope walked towards him. 'Roman, where's Bo?' she asked, looking resolute again.

'Uh, he stepped out a few minutes ago. Why?' Roman fervently hoped Bo won't spread Carly on the desk and things immediately becoming very ugly once the happy pair became vocal.

'I need to talk to him about something very important, before it's too late; if you know where he is, please tell me.'

'Whoa Hope, what's going on? What's the urgent thing you want to talk about with Bo... if I'm allowed to ask that is?'

'No Rom, you aren't.' Was the rude reply. 'So you don't know where Bo is?'

His little brother was probably in the middle of Round One by now. Roman managed to compose himself, firmly refusing to picture Bo and Carly entwined. 'No Hope, I don't.' He replied, his voice curt. It suddenly occurred to him that Hope was changing her mind at the last minute and he was willing to stand by his brother if she was going to cause trouble. From the way Bo looked so happy and peaceful these days it meant he was finally having getting stability in his life and he'll be damned before Hope upset him all over again with her shenanigans. He still had regard for Hope but Bo's happiness was more important.

'Fine, I'll call him later.' Sullenly, Hope walked away. She still didn't believe what Bo had said about not loving her anymore, she needed to discuss it with him again.

Roman made a mental note to advise Bo about locking the door the next time he decided to indulge in 'office sex'; Hope walking in on them was one thing, half of Salem police department doing so was another.

Meanwhile contrary to Roman's belief, Bo and Carly hadn't gone that far, though very close to; both so consumed with desire that they had to disentangle themselves with great effort.

'Tonight...' Bo promised huskily, kissing her repeatedly. 'Just you wait.'

'I intend to.' She replied softly.

:::::::::::::

It was drizzling when Bo arrived at Carly's loft that night; his arms laden with a bouquet of long stemmed roses and a picnic hamper. To her surprise, he told her to slip into something a bit more formal and not come out until he told her to. Filled with eager anticipation, Clarice found a simple green silk dress, short at the knees, slipping it on. She then applied a little makeup, some perfume and brushed her hair before sitting on her bed to wait. Finally Bo came upstairs. 'You can come out now.'

'Are you going to end the suspense now?' she asked with mock exasperation.

'You've been more than patient so come reap the results.' Taking her arm, he led her down the iron wrought staircase to her living room and she gasped in delight at the sight. The room was lit by several scented candles, a candlelit table with their dinner laid, along with a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and the roses placed at the centre of the table. 'Oh my God... I don't know what to say.' She said softly, a hand against her chest. It was absolutely perfect... a beautiful, romantic setting.

'Then don't try to.' Bo slipped his arm around her shoulders, pleased to see she loved what he'd done. A close re-enactment of their date at The Wings ballroom that got ruined by Victor; but one of their priceless memories. He had more in store for her. 'Can I sit you, my lady?' he moved to the table and pulled out a chair for her.

'Why thank you, good sir.' She replied, happily playing along. When she sat down, Bo leaned over and kissed her yet again; his lips passionate and demanding against hers and she eagerly kissed him right back. 'I love you so much.' she whispered.

'I love you too, princess.'

Carly pulled back a bit, staring at him. 'What did you just call me?' she asked.

'You don't like it?' Bo watched her carefully. 'I thought it suited you... because you're so beautiful.' It was actually one of the reasons why the pet name had stuck; he'd first called her that on her birthday because the old classic tale 'The Princess and the Pea' had come to his mind when she'd complained of the lumpy mattress she had to sleep on and that was before he found out she was Lady Katarina Von Leuschner.

Clarice hesitated, thinking about the crystal figurine of a woman resting on her nightstand; wearing a tiara and a ball gown...

'Was that why you gave me that figurine for Christmas, because it reminded you of me?'

Bo touched her face, nodding. 'I didn't know what I felt for you then, but yeah... it did. You don't mind if I call you that?'

No one's ever called her that yet why did it sound vaguely familiar? Clarice agonised. She couldn't understand it at all. But she wasn't going to let another nagging sense of déjà vu ruin their evening. So instead she smiled. 'No, it's flattering and very sweet.'

Bo saw the way her face looked at the name; another cloudy memory that will surely come back to her more clearly as they progressed; in time she would be Carly again and she'll be able to tell him exactly what Lawrence did to her. Right now he was very glad to call her by her old pet name again. Stroking her hair and kissing her forehead, he took his place opposite her and took the chilled champagne from the ice bucket.

When dinner was over they moved to the blanket Bo had spread near the fire place. It was now raining heavily outside; the raindrops pattering against the windows.

'Wow... it's really pouring now, I'm so glad you got here before it really came down hard.' She said, resting against Bo. 'Thank you for doing this; everything's so perfect... the food, the wine, the candles... you.'

He smiled his face against her hair. 'You're more than worth it, princess. You should know by now I would do anything for you.'

Clarice smiled, her eyes closed. In the present romantic setting she felt like they were the only people in the world, their very own special world. 'This is probably what heaven feels like. Being in the perfect spot with someone you love so much and just be in the moment.'

Bo tensed, waiting for her to say more; half hoping she would say- _the place where all that is not music is silence._ But instead, she rested her head against his chest, fingering the silver chain he always wore. 'I haven't felt this sense of peace before. It was always work and one mission to another; being alone.'

'Why would anyone as beautiful as you want to be alone?' Bo asked, rubbing her bare back.

She shrugged. 'I kept men at arm's length most of the time. There were good ones but... I was never exactly in tune with them, emotionally or physically and also because of my line of work, I didn't have the luxury of trusting easily. I never let anyone close until you.' She looked up at him. 'You're my soul mate, Bo. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you.'

Touched by her words he stroked her face with his fingers, loving her so much. 'For the rest of the time I've got here on earth Clarice, I'm yours and nothing or nobody will ever come between us, I promise you.'

'Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?'

'What's this, you don't trust me?'

'It's not that... I do. But Hope, you've been together for so long; you have children and a history.'

'People with longer marriages than ours have been known to fall apart like we did. If you're blaming yourself for what happened between me and Hope, that's crazy. You're not the other woman, you comforted me when I needed a friend and we fell in love. We've got nothing to be guilty or ashamed about. When the divorce is final, everybody will know we're together and simply learn to accept it.'

'Including Ciara? It's one thing to accept me as a friend but as her father's girlfriend?'

'Princess, stop worrying so much, please.' He chided. 'Ciara understands the situation, how she feels about you won't change when we tell her. She'll be glad to have you more in her life, you're her hero.'

Clarice smiled. 'I love her too; I really hope we'll be able to forge a wonderful relationship.'

'You will, don't you fret anymore. In the meantime, how about we enjoy the rest of our evening?'

Pushing her gently on the blanket, they kissed and cuddled for several minutes; Clarice moved under him, moaning as he touched her breasts and planted kisses down her neck, feeling his hardness against her thigh. 'Let's... go upstairs.' She whispered breathlessly.

'Come on...' He got up, pulling her to her feet. Blowing out the candles first, they went up to her room; hand in hand. Bo pulled her against him and resumed kissing her deeply, pulling her hard against him. After holding back for so long he wanted to tear her clothes off and make love to her with wild abandon. But common sense prevailed the burning hunger within him; Lawrence probably raped her several times before her amnesia and the last thing Bo wanted was to invoke horrible memories of that beast by being hasty and rough making love to her. Keeping his mouth on hers, Bo reached for the zipper of her dress, drawing it down slowly and then peeling the garment off, breaking the kiss to look at her. Clarice's cheeks went pink as his eyes and hands swept over her body but she held on to him, her arms round his waist.

'You're so beautiful…' he murmured, drinking in the sight of the familiar body; his heart clenching at the small scars that weren't there years ago; either from Lawrence or her 'assignments'. He touched one and Clarice pushed his hand away. 'It's ugly...' she murmured self consciously.

'Scars of battle... and bravery.' He contradicted gently. 'Which makes them beautiful, everything about you is beautiful.' Brushing back her hair, he resumed kissing her, moving over her cheeks and neck. Her fingers trembling, she unbuttoned his shirt, peeling it down his shoulders and Bo shrugged it off, his breathing quick and unsteady. Clarice touched him in wonder. 'You're… so incredible…' she said softly, her fingers exploring his chest. 'More than I imagined. For a long time I've fantasized touching you like this.'

'Me too.' He whispered, touching her neck, moving up to her face. 'All those times you were in my office… all I could think about was flinging you on the desk, making love to you. I've wanted to make love to you for so long.'

'Make love to me, Bo. Make me yours...now.' she whispered, clinging to him. Holding her round the waist, Bo walked her backwards to the bed and sat her down; stroking her hair as she kissed his stomach, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. Lowering her on the bed he moved over her as she shifted to the centre, their mouths fusing hungrily and aggressively, hands feverishly caressing each other. Clarice ran her fingers through Bo's hair, shivering as he planted kisses along the side of her neck; loving the erotic, spiky feel of his beard grazing her skin. Bo moved his lips to the top of her breasts, unfastening her bra and kissed the soft undersides, savouring the sound of her breathy gasps as he devoured her breasts. Clarice moved restlessly under him; delicious sensations running through her body; the feelings he invoked in her more sensual and scorching than her wildest dreams about him and she sank further and further in the vortex of passion. Bo moved down to kiss her stomach, peeling off her panties. Clarice reached for him but he took her hands, placing them back on her sides. Tracing her navel with his tongue, he moved down, nudging her legs apart. While the storm raged outside, white-hot passion raged in the bedroom. Clarice twined her arms and legs around her lover as he moved inside her, going deeper as he drove them both into the scorching hot inferno, crying out his name. Hands feverishly caressed, mouths met and clung desperately. Bo whispered words of love against her lips, burying his face against her soft neck as he went on pleasuring her; two bodies, two souls entwined in heated, boundless passion...

:::::::::

It was drizzling again when Bo opened his eyes; spooned against Clarice. She lay in his arms, her face half hidden by her tousled hair.

'Good morning,' he whispered against her cheek.

She smiled sleepily, turning in his arms. 'Good morning. Last night wasn't a dream?'

'Mmm… I don't think so.' Draping his thigh over hers, he kissed her repeatedly. Clarice clung to him, welcoming his kisses, moving down to plant kisses on his chest. 'Last night was so beautiful…and romantic.'

'I aim to please,' he took her hand, kissing her fingers one by one. 'Mostly because you inspire me.'

She giggled, kissing him again. 'It's still raining outside. You're not in a hurry to leave, are you?'

'It happens to me my day off…and yours too.' He smirked suggestively. She grinned back. 'So what do you suggest we do, boss?'

'I can think of loads of things and it doesn't involve getting out of this bed any time soon.' She shrieked as he grabbed her, pinning her under him again.

'You're insatiable, Commissioner.'

'You're unbearably sexy, Agent Parker, that's why.' He growled, losing himself in her all over again. Ten minutes later, they lay exhausted and spent against each other. 'I'm going to summon some strength now by taking a shower and then check what I have in the fridge.' She climbed out of the bed. 'Coming?'

'Miss the chance of taking a shower with you? Lead the way.'

She smiled at him tenderly, pulling his head down for another heated kiss. But as he turned to go into the bathroom, her smile faded as she stared at the tattoo on Bo's back; of a dagger. Her mind went back to the recurring dream of the faceless man with a tattoo on the _exact_ spot…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Was the tattoo on Bo's back the same as the one in her dream; was it Bo the man she'd been dreaming about the whole time? If so, she might accept it as a sort of premonition telling her she and Bo would eventually become lovers, but something still kept nagging her. Frustrated, Clarice rubbed her aching forehead; trying to picture the dream again. A candle lit room… her fingers caressing a man's back, a tattoo, of what she didn't know; a man kissing her neck… why is his face hidden?

 _Why am I so bothered about Bo's tattoo; I don't even know if it's the same tattoo in the dream!_ Clarice shook her head, staring at the fishing boats sailing along the river. What does it matter anyway, it was just a dream…only a dream. She should concentrate on what she had right now, the most wonderful man in the world; who loved her as much as she loved him and the centre of her world. She wasn't going to allow a dream or a tattoo to bother her any further. Feeling less uneasy by that thought she walked along the docks, the afternoon breeze blowing her long hair about. Then all of a sudden she heard a scream and she immediately ran to the direction they were coming from. A woman was lying on the ground while a scruffy looking man in torn jeans and a dirty T-shirt was rummaging her purse. Immediately Clarice pulled out her gun, aiming it at him. 'Hands in the air where I can see them… do it now!'

The thug froze, his stoned eyes staring at her.

'I said hands in the air and get down on your knees; I'm not going to say it again!' she shouted harshly; her finger on the trigger. He obeyed slowly, dropping the purse. Manoeuvring her way behind him, she swiftly cuffed him before hurrying to the woman who was moaning. 'Are you alright, ma'am?' she asked, holstering back her gun.

'He… he stabbed me.' Was the whisper. Blood was flowing from her stomach. Casting a look of repulsion and contempt at the perp, Clarice pulled out her cell phone and called for an ambulance and then for backup. 'Don't worry, help is on the way.' She soothed.

'Please don't let me die… I have two kids; I'm all they have, please…' the woman clutched her hand tightly.

'Hey come on… I didn't hurt her that bad…' the perp whined.

Rage surged through Clarice, a type of rage she'd never felt before but she was more concerned about the victim than walking up to him and smash his mouth with her boot. 'Don't worry, you're going to make it; believe that, you hear me?' she soothed, taking off her jacket. 'Calm down now.'

'Hey, what's going on here?' A man in a faded denim jacket appeared, staring in amazement.

'I'm an FBI agent, this woman was just mugged and needs immediate medical assistance- please go to my car parked in front and get the first aid kit in the trunk.' She produced the keys and the man hurried to take them. 'It's a blue Carina… please hurry, she's losing blood!' The man darted away. Turning to the cuffed perp who was wriggling about on the ground she snarled, 'If she dies, I swear I'll kill you myself, you just wait!' Looking down at the woman, she asked, 'what's your name?'

'Linda.' Was the soft reply. 'What's yours?'

'Clarice.'

'That's a pretty name…' she closed her eyes.

'Linda… Linda stay with me now… my God, where the hell's that ambulance?'

'Agent… I got it!' The man hurried back with the box. To her surprise, Clarice felt a strong feeling of purpose and confidence as she attended to the woman; her hands were steady and methodical as she did all she could to stop the bleeding; not once did she panic or falter. Thankfully, she managed to stop the woman from bleeding profusely.

'You sure missed your calling Agent Parker; you should've been a doctor.' The man, who'd introduced himself as Derek commented, watching Clarice's ministrations closely.

'Why do you say that?' she asked without looking up.

'You know exactly what you are doing there, just like a pro. Hey look, she's opening her eyes…' Linda peered up at Clarice.

'How are you doing?'

She nodded, smiling faintly. At that moment a police car drove up, the sirens blaring and two uniformed police jumped out. Pulling the perp roughly on his feet he was dragged to the car as well as bagging the weapon as evidence. Two seconds later, the ambulance finally arrived and the paramedics took over from her.

'Excellent work Agent Parker; top notch job. You have medical training?' one of them asked after Linda was transported inside into the ambulance. Clarice hesitated then shook her head; still feeling rather baffled at how she was able to administer first aid so diligently. The whole thing had simply come so naturally and familiar to her; like a hidden and undiscovered skill. It shouldn't be a big deal but… she'd felt like the professional Derek had described her.

'Well, thanks to you, this lady's going to pull through. Pity there isn't more like you who knows exactly what to do in an emergency.'

Clarice shrugged, turning to Derek who appeared at her elbow with her jacket. 'Thanks. And thanks also for your help.' She said, taking it from him.

'No problem, besides you did more than I did, that's for sure.' Derek looked at her intently as she slipped the jacket back on. 'Uh… can I have your number, so I could call you sometime?'

Clarice smiled, shaking her head. 'I already have a boyfriend who's probably wondering where I am as we speak.'

Derek sighed, a look of resignation on his face. 'Lucky bastard. You win some and you lose some. Nice meeting you, anyway.'

'Likewise, and thanks again.' Clarice called after him as he left; he turned to wave at her.

'That woman was lucky you happened to be here, Agent Parker.' One of the officers said. 'She would've bled to death and that son of a bitch would've gotten away with murder.'

'Thank God for some mercies. You two get him out of here before I change my mind about killing him.'

'You got it.' The young man hurried away to join his partner.

'Agent Parker,' the second paramedic poked his head out. 'The patient wants you to ride with her. Coming?'

Without hesitation, Clarice climbed in, slamming the door behind her.

::::::::::::::

'Princess?'

Clarice rose from her seat as Bo hurried to her, wrapping her arms round his waist as he hugged her tightly. 'Are you okay?' He asked, pulling back to hold her face between his palms.

She nodded. 'I'm waiting for news. The victim… her name's Linda… is in surgery right now. I have to know she's really going to be okay.'

'Sure.' Bo surveyed her face carefully. 'Something's bothering you besides her though. What is it?'

'It's nothing.'

'Don't tell me it's nothing, this is me you're talking to, Clarice.' Bo pushed back a few strands of hair from her forehead clearly seeing she looked disturbed. 'What's wrong?'

Clarice stared at him, wondering how to express what she was feeling coherently enough for him not to think she was going crazy. _Bo, when I was helping that woman with her wound I felt like it was somebody else doing it and my hands worked like clockwork doing something I never knew I could do. How can I tell you about something I don't understand myself?_

'It's really nothing Bo; I'm just worried about that woman, she's a single mum and if she doesn't pull through…'

'She is going to pull through and I'm not going to let you beat yourself about it, okay? She's going to be fine, you see.' He pulled her back in his arms, wondering if she'd remembered something else during the encounter; Davidson and James had narrated how she'd so carefully tended to the victim until the paramedics came. _A way a doctor would do_ was how they'd described it. Carly doesn't understand how she was able to help that woman so well; she was confused _. If you two get closer she might start getting memory flashes she doesn't understand and it will be your job to fill the blanks and give her answers;_ Roman had warned him. This wasn't a flash of memory though; it was uncovering a skill she didn't know she had. So far she still didn't remember her past life as a surgeon but her medical training was still within her. Sooner or later she was going to experience those flashes of memory and he had to be there for her and give her those answers before she got more confused.

'Bo, Clarice.' Lexie came out.

'How is she… she going to be okay, right?' Clarice asked anxiously.

'Oh yes.' Lexie beamed at her, squeezing her shoulder. 'She's very lucky you were there to help her the way you did; speaking as a doctor I'm really impressed. Maybe you should consider a career change like I did.'

Clarice chuckled, not noticing Bo's frown. 'Can I see her?'

'In a few minutes; she'll be moved to Recovery in a few minutes. Have you contacted her family?'

As she spoke, a plump woman dressed in a faded blue sweater came out of the elevator and hurried to them, her face agitated and anxious. 'Excuse me; I got a call from the police about my niece Linda Hagen. Is she alright?'

'She just came out of surgery ma'am; she's going to be fine.' Lexie swiftly assured her.

'Oh thank God! I would've been here a lot sooner but I had to find somebody to mind the kids. Where is she, can I see her now?'

'Her room's this way; follow me.'

Bo stopped Carly from going with them. 'Let her see her alone for today, princess. You can come back tomorrow to check up on her, okay?'

'I guess you're right.' Clarice glanced at her watch. 'Well, let's head back to the station. I have to write out the report before I go home.'

'Wait a bit; I need to talk to Lexie about something.' Walking down the hall, he found the victim's room and signalled Lexie to come out.

'What is it?' she asked, closing the door behind her.

'You need to be more careful about what you say to Carly; none of us can afford to make mistakes.' Bo snapped.

'Why, what happened?' Lexie asked in surprise. 'I only said…'

'She suspects something or I think she suspects something.' Bo related to Lexie about Carly's obvious confusion over her sudden medical expertise. Lexie listened, looking thoughtful. 'Is it normal for an amnesiac to still have trained skills from a past life?' he asked.

'A person with Carly's type of amnesia; it's not common but not unheard of either. It takes years before they display skills they had prior to the amnesia; usually that happens when a certain situation they find themselves in forces them to act on instinct and then it comes. Carly's been in law enforcement for years; leading a far different type of life from the one she led when she was here; she suddenly found herself with an emergency in her hands so her past skills suddenly came to her at that moment.'

'But she's got to have helped victims who'd been attacked before now.' Bo pointed out.

'Obviously not like the one she rendered today since you said she's confused about what she found herself able to do. For a few minutes she was Dr. Manning, maybe living in Salem again for the past few months helped.'

'Then I'm sure glad I was able to keep her here!' Bo sighed deeply. 'She may start remembering some things next…I sure hope so.'

'Bo…' Lexie said hesitantly. 'Are you involved with her again?'

Bo levelled her with a cool look. 'If I am, so what? You're going to dish out your objections?'

'Are you?'

'Yes, I am. We fell in love again and I've never been happier.'

'But what about Hope?'

'I think you're getting a little bit of amnesia yourself, Dr. Carver; the divorce was final a few days ago and I don't owe you any explanations.'

'Bo, this isn't far to Hope. She doesn't know Clarice is your ex, she's going to blame her for the divorce when she finds out about you two!' Lexie insisted.

'Eventually she's going to find out I'm dating her but not about her past life here; not until Carly starts getting her memory back. And if you're still my friend Lexie, you'll keep your mouth shut. Got it?'

'Hope's my friend too. Keeping this from her doesn't sit well with me.'

'I'm more concerned about protecting Carly than Hope; Hope's not my wife anymore and never will be again so clear your mind from that thought. Carly's going to get her life back, without anything or anybody upsetting her; I'll make sure of that. Not one word from you Lexie, I mean it.'

'Then you be the one to tell her yourself.' Lexie snapped, annoyed by his attitude and the way he was speaking to her.

'I will, on my own time, my way.' Bo emphasized, giving her a long, cool look before walking away.

::::::::::::::

For appearances sake, Clarice didn't wait for Bo when it was time to leave but he told her not to start dinner as he was going to bring home takeout from The Brady Pub. The strange episode she'd had still puzzled her and was more difficult to shake off than the man with the tattoo in her dream; where and how did she suddenly acquire the skills of a doctor; how was she able to know exactly what to do when treating Linda and so confidently too?

'Maybe I am going crazy.' She muttered as she lay on her bed, one arm over her eyes, waiting for Bo to come. He spent a lot of time at the loft with her, refusing to stay in the house Hope had let him have and she in turn was reluctant to move in with him. Not that living with Bo wouldn't be heavenly but not in a house he once shared with his wife; that would be far too weird and uncomfortable for her. Turning to her side, she closed her eyes and dozed off…

 _She was on a carpeted floor, bleeding from the mouth; her eyes ringed with purplish bruises. 'Please stop… please…' she begged, cowering as a shadow moved over her._

 _'_ _Until you learn.' An icy cold voice replied. 'That nobody crosses me, especially you.' It reached down and dragged her up by the hair before holding on to her neck with both hands. 'I can snap you like a twig so easily; which is precisely what I'll do if I have any more of your behaviour.'_

 _Her head snapped back from the impact of a stinging slap and then another and another…_

 _'_ Princess, wake up… wake up!'

She cried out, frantically pushing away the hands shaking her. 'Stop, get away!'

'Honey, it's me; Bo. Just me, okay?' Bo's handsome face hovering over hers was filled with worry. 'Calm down.'

Clarice gasped, one hand resting on her heaving chest.

'A nightmare?' Bo asked, touching her face. 'You want to tell me about it?'

She sat up, reaching for Bo; revelling in the warmth of his strong arms. Bo stroked her hair, waited for her to speak.

'A man was hitting me; I couldn't see his face.' She whispered against his chest. 'It was horrible and felt so real… '

 _Lawrence…_ Bo thought grimly. Of all the things she had to dream about it just had to be one of her terrible moments with that beast.

'Did he say anything?' he asked gently.

'Something about making me pay if I cross him again, or something.' Clarice shook her head. 'I don't understand why I would have a dream like that.'

He couldn't possibly tell her the truth, not yet anyway. Bo fervently wished Marlena was around, she would know what to do about this.

'Don't worry, I'm here, princess. Right here with you; it's only a dream, okay?'

She nodded, her terror subsiding. 'Right. Just a dream.' She raised her head. 'Thank you.'

'Hey, you don't need to thank me. I love you, you know that; I'm here for you- always.' Bo kissed her; thoroughly exploring her mouth. 'You're hungry?' he asked as he pulled away.

Clarice shook her head. 'Not right now. Just lie here with me if you don't mind.'

'Sure, whatever you want.' Kissing her again, Bo settled in bed spooned against her; wrapping his arms below her breasts.

'I love you Bo.' She said softly, rubbing the arm encircling her. 'Very much.'

Bo smiled tenderly, kissing the back of her neck. 'I love you too.'


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

'Come in,' Bo said without looking up from the file he was intently studying.

The door opened and slammed shut loudly, causing him to look up; startled.

Frankie Brady stood there; his bluish black eyes blazing with anger. 'What the hell do you think you're doing, Bo?'

Bo put the file down and stood up. 'Frankie. We've been trying to reach you for a very long time.'

'From the amount of messages on my answering machine; I figured.' Frankie said coldly. 'Plus a phone call from Emil Standish informing me my sister is in Salem; on loan from the ISA. And I'm willing to guess it was by your request. What are you doing?'

'Before I answer your question, Frank; why didn't you tell me what happened to Carly in the first place? What was that about?'

Frankie scoffed. 'Would you have cared? You handed Carly over to that bastard in the first place and in a matter of months, you forgot her! You never even told Hope about her; as far as she's concerned, it was Billie who made you whole again while she was gone!'

'Well, we both know that's not true. And I never forgot Carly.' Bo replied, anger in his voice. 'Letting her go was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. But Larry brainwashed her; by the time she got out the amnesia it was too late for us. I let her go _because_ I loved her. But it was too hard for me to picture her being a family with him and Nicky; you should know how it is! That's why I couldn't bring myself to think of her for years. Now pull a chair and sit down, we need to talk about this rationally.'

Frankie hesitated then reluctantly did as he was told. Bo sank back into his chair, looking at Carly's brother intently. 'One more question before I answer yours. Shane told us the doctors made Carly believe she survived a terrible accident when they couldn't help her. But they did more than that, didn't they?'

Frankie was silent for a few seconds then quietly replied, 'They implanted false memories into her mind. You got to understand Bo; she'd been through a lot of trauma and the last thing we wanted was Lawrence finding out she was still alive. And that would have happened if we had told her who she really was; she would have fought for custody of Nicky or go back to Alamania for him. I wasn't around to help my sister but no way was I going to allow Lawrence touch her again. As far as she's concerned, she's an orphan who lost her family as a child and was left money. I couldn't be in her life but Standish's been looking out for her for me. Now I find out she's here and you're endangering her by keeping her here.'

'I'm trying to help her get her life back, Frank. Once we got the whole story; Roman and I decided we couldn't let her go on as Clarice Parker. She has a right to know who she really is.'

'So that's all there is, you just want to help her.' Frankie said disbelievingly. 'And how does Hope feel about you helping out your ex fiancée?'

'She doesn't know Carly's my ex and she's not an issue anyway. We're divorced now.'

Frankie couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'You've got to be kidding me. You and Hope?'

Bo raised his hands. 'We were having a lot of problems before Carly came back. Hope moved out with Ciara and I tried to fix things; I really did. And then… Carly and I fell in love all over again and before you say anything,' he hastily added seeing Frankie's staggered look, 'it's not a rebound from Hope. It was a force bigger than the both of us and it's real. It really is. It's not just about helping her now. She's back in my life and she's never leaving it again. I love her Frankie and she loves me.'

Frankie sank back into his chair, overwhelmed. 'My God…' he said at last.

'She's not in danger.' Bo assured him. 'Now she's got me and Roman to protect her. And she's starting to remember a few things; they're foggy right now but in time, she's going to remember more and I'll fill the blanks as they come. And you must do the same thing, as her brother.'

'But what about Larry? Somehow he's going to find out she's here.' Frankie said worriedly.

'He comes near her, I'll kill him.' Bo's voice was now hard and ominous. 'And as for Nicky; he doesn't have to know his mother's alive just yet. Once Carly gets her memory back, she'll decide whether or not to call him. Lord knows what that son of a bitch even told him about her.'

'If I know Larry; a load of crap enough to turn him against her- just like Vivian did.' Frankie said sullenly. 'I hate them so much. And I hate my father for handing my sister over to him in the first place. That was the worst part about being Francois and Katarina Von Leuschner, Bo. The only thing our parents could give us was money and expected nothing from us but marry into yet more money.' He sighed. 'I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about what happened to Carly. I just kept looking at you and Hope and thought you wouldn't want to help her. I guess I misjudged you.'

'Pretty much but it's okay.' Bo smiled. 'And after she regains her memory and gets her life back, I'm going to ask her to marry me.'

Frankie chuckled softly. 'For real? Wow… it _is_ serious. But you are going to tell Hope right? I don't want Carly having problems with her.'

'Soon, Frankie; I promise. I'm going to handle things my way.'

Frankie shrugged his shoulders in defeat. 'Well… I guess I have to trust you. Where is Carly anyway?'

'She's out with Roman on a case.'

Frankie shook his head in exasperation.

'I know… I don't like her being in law enforcement either. She's more than capable but she doesn't belong here. She'll get her memory back, in time.'

'I pray she will. Lord knows nothing the doctors did worked. When can I see her?'

'Meet us at Mum's place tonight; I'll bring her over.'

'Great.' Frankie gave Bo a hug, very grateful for him now that his anger was gone. He was still worried about his sister's safety but he didn't doubt Bo and Roman's capability of protecting her. 'I'm only in town for a day; I have to fly back to D.C very soon.'

'We'll see you tonight then. And please remember not to call her Carly.'

'You got it.'

:::::::::

Carly looked at Frankie intently as Bo introduced them. Caroline and Roman watched, bracing themselves; wondering if she would recognize her brother.

'Pleased to meet you, Frankie.' She said at last. 'I have a huge feeling we're going to be very close friends.' She smiled wider, her hand still holding his. 'Funny… I already feel so close to you.'

Bo looked at Caroline and Roman over her head. A good sign at least.

Frankie's warm smile hid his frustration but he was very glad to see his sister. With Bo and Roman around, Standish didn't have to keep tabs on her on his behalf from now on and he could now visit her often; as Bo and Roman's younger brother.

All through dinner, Carly and Frankie couldn't stop chatting with each other; there was playful banter and to Bo's amusement and delight, Carly uncannily kept finishing Frankie's sentences.

'It's a real treat meeting you, Frankie.' Carly said when it was time for her and Bo to leave. 'It's a shame you're flying back so soon. When will we see you again?'

'More often from now on.' Frankie hugged her close. 'It was great meeting you too. And I'm happy for you and Bo.'

Carly turned to smile lovingly at Bo. 'I'm happy too.'

As she walked through the door after kissing Roman and Caroline goodnight; Frankie gripped Bo's shoulder. 'Take great care of her, Bo. Please, don't let anything happen to her again.'

'I promise, don't you worry.' Bo assured him gruffly.

'We all will, son.' Caroline added as Roman patted his back.

'I like your brother very much.' Carly said as she sat on the bed and removed her shoes. 'We really clicked.'

'You sure seemed to have a lot in common with him.' Bo said, washing his hands in the adjoining bathroom and drying them with a towel.

Carly looked at him with amusement as he stepped out. 'Are you jealous?'

Bo scoffed. 'Please…'

'Not even a little bit?' she asked, getting up to slid her arms round his waist.

'Would you prefer if I was, you minx?' Bo teased, pulling her against him.

Carly laughed. 'Seriously, Frankie's really sweet and we're so in tune. Don't get me wrong, I love Roman but there's just something about Frankie.'

It's that damn déjà vu again; at least that's what it was to her. The memory wasn't yet in place but the natural connection was; just like the connection she had with him that led to them being together again. _A matter of time,_ Bo reminded himself. _Just a matter of time._

'Well, he liked you too; in fact he gave a quick remark about how lucky I am. And I agree with him, a hundred per cent.' He cupped her face and kissed her lingeringly. Carly's lips parted eagerly for him, her arms moving up to encircle his neck, pressing herself against him and feeling his instant reaction. He kissed down her neck, his warm breath over her as he unbuttoned her shirt and peeled it off her.

'Definitely a hundred per cent.' Bo grinned at her, his voice husky as he walked her backwards to the bed.

Carly grinned back.

Bo pushed her onto the bed and then started taking off his shirt. He stopped, noticing an odd expression on her face, a rather petrified expression. 'Clarice, what's wrong?'

 _A shadowy figure roughly pushing her on a bed, pinning her down… ripping her clothes and she was kicking out, struggling, screaming…_

'Princess,' Bo said urgently, moving close to her. 'What's wrong, did I do something…?' He stroked her cheek.

 _'_ _No!'_ Carly shrieked, scrambling away from his touch in terror.

Bo stared at her, unsure of what to do.

Clarice rubbed her head with her hands; confused and shaken. What the hell was wrong with her and what was the meaning of that unexpected vision? She turned away to bury her face into a pillow, taking deep breaths.

Bo joined her on the bed, upset the latest flash of memory made her scared of him. 'Clarice?' he touched her hair cautiously. 'Are you okay? Talk to me please.'

Carly didn't raise her head until she sensed the strange sense of terror leaving her. Feeling better she turned to face Bo who was looking so anxious and concerned that it wrung her heart. She sat up and slipped her arms round him and he held her tightly, pressing his lips against her forehead.

'I'm sorry,' she murmured. 'I don't know what came over me.'

'It's alright,' Bo stroked her hair, wishing happier past events would come to her instead of visions of Lawrence abusing her. It must have been the way he pushed her onto the bed that triggered it. 'What was that?' he asked tentatively.

'I don't know.' Carly pulled away to look at him, confused and still rather shaken. 'I… I saw something in my head just now… something or someone evil. A premonition I think.'

Bo of course knew otherwise. 'You don't honestly think I would ever do anything to hurt you.'

'No, no…of course not,' She hugged him again, basking in his manly strength and immediately feeling safe and warm again. He always made her feel that way. 'I know you, Bo Brady. You're the last person that could ever hurt me.'

'I'm glad you know that, princess.' Bo replied quietly, relieved by her words. Goddamn Lawrence Alamain! If he ever showed up in Salem to come after Carly, he will kill him dead; kill him with his bare hands.

Feeling better, Carly began kissing Bo again. Wrapping his arms round her, his mouth devoured hers in a drugging kiss; his hands feverishly exploring her breasts before lowering her onto the bed, gently this time. Kissing his way down her body, he unbuckled and pulled her jeans off her legs. As he slipped from her arms to take off his pants, she sat up to take off her tank top and bra; their eyes locked with each other. Bo saw the woman he loved, beautiful and sensually feminine. Clarice saw a handsome, very macho man she was absolutely crazy about and completely in sync with. No way was he capable of harming her so was that sudden episode all about?

Pushing it aside, she held out her arms to him. Bo re-joined her, taking her in his arms. As much as he wanted her to remember more, he also didn't want her getting more flashes of Lawrence hurting her. So he rolled onto his back, lifting her and guided her down to him. Gasping against his lips, she moved on him, trembling with intense pleasure as they moved together.

Bo gripped her hips, loving her fiercely and basking in their mutual blazing passion; planting kisses on her mouth and against her neck, the urgency in him mounting as their bodies moved together in a sweet, driving frenzy and finally, after spasms of their culmination shook them, Carly collapsed against him; both panting heavily in fulfilment. She pressed her face against his neck and he held her tightly, rubbing her back and turned his head to kiss her on the forehead. They lay in silence, content and warm against each other.

'Bo?'

'Yeah, baby?'

'Do you believe in past lives?' she asked, her finger tips running over his hair roughened chest.

'Never thought much about that subject; why?' he replied, stroking her hair.

'I keep going back to the night we met. How I felt so connected to you the moment I saw you. And after that, it felt like I've always known you.' Moving her head up, she peered at him. 'Every time you smiled at me I found myself more in love with you. Every time you touch me, I always feel so safe in a way I've never felt before. If there's really a thing like a past life; I think we were in love, just like this.' She smiled, reaching up to stroke his jaw.

Bo smiled back at her, wishing he could tell her they were together so many years ago. 'Well maybe we do have past lives, princess. Or it's just the plain old déjà vu you keep having.'

Carly's mind went back to Frankie. She'd felt connected with him immediately; just as if she'd known him all her life too, like a brother. 'I guess. Like tonight with your brother… completely in synch with him, like I am with you, just not the same way. Come to think of it…' she resumed rubbing his chest, toying with his medallion. 'The time I've spent here, with you and with your family; I realized my career and going on missions just masked how lonely I really was.' She looked up at him again. 'You're my missing other half, Bo Brady. Déjà vu or past life… I can't imagine my life without you.'

'Neither can I.' Bo whispered back, turning round towards her and she was lying beneath him. 'I love you so much, Clarice Parker. And I promise you; no one's ever going to take you away from me.' _Not a second time. Let that bastard come; I'll be ready for him._

Carly sensed something odd in his tone but before she could ask him, his lips were on hers; his hands caressing her soft skin. Her arms encircled his neck as she eagerly responded to his touch; parting her legs when she felt his knee slide between them and they made love again.

 _She was standing beside a bed brushing her hair, dressed in a robe. She was younger, maybe in her twenties. And then she heard a deep voice behind her._

 _'_ _She walks in beauty, like the night; of cloudless climes and starry skies…_

 _And all that's best of dark and bright,'_

 _She turned, smiling at whoever was talking to her._

 _'_ _Meet in her aspect and her eyes,' he continued, 'thus mellowed to that tender light, which heaven to gaudy day denies.'_

 _She moved to him. He had dark hair and was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. He took in his arms and she raised her eyes to see his face…_

She jerked awake at the sound of thunder. She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest, watching Bo as he closed the windows. 'Wow… looks like a storm's brewing.' He said. 'There it is,' he added as the rain began to pour.

Carly felt aggravated at the lousy timing; she was so close seeing who the mysterious stranger was, certain it was the same man with the tattoo she kept seeing in her dreams. It was all so mysterious; the dreams, the man, the premonition. What exactly was wrong with her?

Bo closed the curtains and climbed back into bed beside her, pulling her down to cradle her head against his chest. And once again, as she nestled close to her lover, feeling his arms round her; she felt her frustration ebbing away. Bo always made her feel better; always. She loved the man so much.

The thunder rolled yet again and the rain poured harder. Spooned against Bo, Carly slept peacefully. And began dreaming again…

 _A man was kneeling in front of her… unbuttoning her blouse. Again she couldn't see his face but she was stroking his cheek. Slowly he got to his feet, peeling it off her. A tattoo on his back… but again she couldn't see clearly… they were making out in a dimly lit room… or was it a room? Lightning was flashing against… a pothole. They were in a cabin… on a boat!_

Carly squirmed under Bo's arms, hoping to see more. But the dream faded and she was back to a dreamless sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hope stared down at her clasped hands and Bo couldn't read anything on her face. For almost an hour she had listened to him as he told the whole story, not leaving out what Shane told him, Roman and Abe. For the first twenty minutes she'd stared hard at him then lowered her gaze, letting him talk with no interruptions; which he didn't expect. Now she was deathly calm, her face expressionless as he ended his narrative. Bo waited for her to say something and when she didn't, reached for her hand. She immediately recoiled as though he had a contractible disease. 'Don't you _touch_ me.' She hissed, her voice trembling.

'You're mad and I understand. I just never imagined I would ever see her again and in this situation. The initial plan was simply to help her get her memory back.'

Hope finally raised her eyes and he saw that her face now wore a look of scorn. 'And I suppose sleeping with her was some form of _therapy_ , huh?'

Bo bristled at the insulting words but kept his temper. 'Before Lawrence Alamain took her away from me, Carly and I had a life; a wonderful life with Shawn D. She was there for both of us in many ways… I know it hurts you to hear that but it's the truth. After Shane gave us his report and then she got shot saving your life and Ciara's; more than _ever_ I felt I owed it to her to help her get her memory back.' He paused then continued, 'the rest of it… it wasn't planned. It just happened and we're together now. You needed to hear it from me, which is why I asked you to meet me here today.'

'How _convenient_ for both of you. She doesn't remember you and you found yourself falling in love with an ex fiancée who left you and our son… an ex fiancée you _never_ told me about! Was losing her _that_ painful that you just couldn't tell me about her?'

'I had moved on with my life!' Bo snapped back defensively. 'With everything we went through to stay together and the life we had, what was the point of bringing up Carly Manning at all? She had nothing to do with us.'

Hope was silent for a minute, her anger mounting. 'Well, now I know who really replaced me while I was gone! I _cannot_ believe you did this to me, Brady. I might buy that Clarice… Carly… _whatever_ her name is, fell in love with you even in her present state but you… over two decades of us, you threw all that away in an instant.'

'You were willing to, the night you moved out of our house, remember?' Bo replied, his voice now cold. 'And before you accuse me any further; remember _this_. I never expected to ever see Carly again. I never planned on falling in love with her all over again but it happened. She's back in my life and she's going to _stay_ in my life, amnesia or not.'

'And that's because she's everything I'm _not_ , isn't it?' Hope asked adamantly.

'Let's not do this, Hope.'

'No, you'll answer me right now since we're being honest here. She's everything I'm not, right… giving you all the warmth and harmony you didn't get from me. Is that how she was when she was Carly Manning; _agreeing_ with you every time?'

She knew from the expression on Bo's face that he was struggling to control his temper and braced herself for a defensive tirade. Bo longed to tell her that while Carly was at times a tad too stubborn- just like her- at least she would never have taken their child away from him or make him feel he'd failed her in anyway, like she did. But he had a 25 year old history with Hope and she was still Shawn D and Ciara's mother; hence didn't want to hurt her by comparing her unfavourably with Carly. At the long run, he still hoped they would be able to remain amicable friends. 'I'm not going to dignify your question with an answer.' He said instead. 'I've told you what I feel you got the right to know. You're mad but be mad at _me_ , not her and I don't want you go confronting her about a past she doesn't remember or feel that what happened between us is her fault; _you_ know it's not. And don't let Victor poison your mind against her either because he'll try.'

The part about Victor marrying Carly and then battling Bo over her later, had appalled and disgusted Hope. 'You can't expect me to believe Victor tried to kill you. He's many things but _you're_ his son, his flesh and blood.'

'Victor's not above anything and he _did_ try to kill me.' Bo snapped. It was a very long time ago but not something he'll ever forget, especially since it was Carly who walked into the trap instead. 'He even had the boat torched, imagine if Shawn D had been in there when it happened. All because he couldn't stand the idea Carly wanted to end that sham of a marriage and be with me.'

Hope felt sick at the level of Victor's jealousy, still finding it appalling he would do such a thing to Bo. Father and son, fighting over the same woman- both men determined to win her. She swallowed, jealousy stabbing her in the gut. No wonder Bo never told her about Carly Manning; their history was something worthy of a movie! 'I won't discuss her with Victor.' She said stiffly. 'And I guess I have to appreciate you telling me everything. But don't expect me to carry on as if I'm okay with the situation because I'm not. I'm angry, I'm _hurt_ and I _can't_ pretend! I just can't!' She grabbed her purse and got up.

'Hope wait…' Bo rose as well.

'I need to be by myself right now so just leave me alone.' Hope hurled at him, tears tricking the corner of her eyes. 'Just let me be, okay?' she left _The Java_ , slamming the glass door behind her. Bo sighed heavily. Well, it was done. Hope knew the whole story, now he and Carly can stop sneaking around. He felt sorry for Hope; he would be upset if he were in her shoes. Just as well she left, she needed time to cool off and look at the situation more calmly. Paying the check, he went back to the station. Clarice raised her eyes from the papers she was studying and smiled at him as he entered her office. 'Hi. Where were you?'

'I took Hope out for coffee and… I told her about us.'

Clarice rose from her desk, her expression sober. 'How did she take it?' she asked, walking to him.

'As expected, not well.'

'Oh no.' She shook her head.

'Hey, hey,' Bo said, holding her face between his palms. 'We've talked about this many times, _no guilt_.'

'I can't help it, I really feel bad for her. What woman would be happy knowing the reason her marriage ended?'

'Will you _stop_ that already? You're _not_ the reason and I don't want to ever hear you say that again.'

'It's just...' Clarice paused then went on, 'you two were married for a very long time.'

'And she walked out on me and no matter how much I begged, all I got was rejection and then the divorce papers _she_ had me served with. This is the same argument we had when you had doubts about us being together and what did I tell you?'

'Pretty much what you're telling me now.' She replied quietly, fiddling with his tie.

'So, no guilt because we've nothing to be guilty about. We love each other, that's not wrong.'

'No… no, it isn't. But I still feel…'

'Hope's going to be okay. After thinking things through, she'll begin to accept it. She just needs time.'

Clarice nodded. 'I just hope you're right.'

'I _am_. Stop worrying about it.' Stroking her hair, he held her close. Clinging to him, Clarice imagined what Hope must be feeling and how she would approach her from now on. And will Ciara remain friendly with her after Bo informed her she was now his girlfriend? Clarice didn't want Bo having problems with his children because of her; she was yet to meet the son Bo kept talking about. From the way he spoke of him, they sounded very close and she hoped he wouldn't resent her for being the new woman in his father's life.

Little did she know that Bo had informed Shawn Douglas all about her via Skype. To Bo's relief, while his son was not exactly happy about the divorce, his reaction about him dating Carly wasn't of condemnation either. 'Not even me, she doesn't remember _me?_ ' Shawn D exclaimed incredulously, barely getting over Carly's huge change in professional status and how she'd saved his mother and sister.

'No, she doesn't. She saw some old photos of you at Mum's but she felt nothing familiar. I don't know how long it's going to be before she gets her memory back. The few flashes I know of were of Larry beating her but she just thinks it's a nightmare and an unexplainable premonition. I don't know if she's had others.'

'Dad, this is terrible.'

'An understatement.' Bo replied grimly. 'But I swore I'll do all I can for her and I will, no matter how long it takes. Roman feels that gradually she'll start remembering things herself but I'm going to go about digging up some stuff that might trigger something.'

Shawn Douglas had wished him luck on it and promised to come over to Salem on a visit as soon as he could.

'By the way,' Bo said, raising her head. 'I'm taking Ciara out for the day on Saturday. Will you come with us?

'Of course, I'd love to.' Clarice's eyes lit up at the thought of a whole day's bonding with Ciara. Whether it was because she was Bo's little girl or she rescued her from Dean; she felt a deep affinity towards her, a feeling she could only describe as maternal. It surprised Clarice she would feel that way, after being alone for so long but it was there, hence the great hope Ciara would still like her after Bo explained the situation.

Bo smiled, pleased to see the worried expression on her face earlier was gone. 'You'll see that Ciara won't change her mind about you,' he assured her, sensing what still lurked at the back of her mind. 'She loves you.'

'And I love her too, I really do.' Clarice touched his face. 'And I hope I get to know Shawn Douglas soon enough, I'm pretty sure I'll like him too.'

Bo thought about how upset his son was over Clarice's inability to remember him, he would cringe if he heard what she just said.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hope walked on and on, lost in her thoughts until she got to the docks and stared down at the water.

 _Severe Retrograde Amnesia_. At first, Hope wanted to believe it was an elaborate trick on Clarice's part. But after hearing from Bo what Shane told him about her, she had to accept Clarice's condition was genuine. And from now on, she would have to watch Bo with her, the same woman who saved her life and the life of her daughter's. _The same woman who replaced me while I was gone but doesn't remember... how's that for bitter irony?_ Hope Brady thought yet again, fresh anger and pain cruising through her. _I hate her._

She sighed in frustration, her mind in turmoil. How can she bring herself to hate the woman who saved her life and Ciara's… and nearly at the cost of her own. It was no point pretending she was the reason they were divorced. Deep down, Hope knew she brought it all on herself but blaming Bo's amnesiac girlfriend seemed a lot easier than blaming herself. The family didn't say so, but she knew they also thought she was to blame for the divorce but will never say it to her face. Who could she talk to about it? After Clarice's heroic act, no one had reason to speak ill against her. Hope Williams Brady felt so much alone.

'Hope.'

She raised her head, smiling faintly at Justin who walked up to her. 'What's wrong? Did something happen?'

'Bo, he… he called me today and he had quite the story to tell me.'

'Clarice?' Justin asked warily.

'You mean _Carly Manning_ , his ex fiancée. You know, a little heads up would've been nice.'

'It wasn't anyone's place to tell you the truth; it had to come from Bo. We were just as shocked when she resurfaced right out of the blue like that.'

Hope turned away to stare back at the river. 'Were you friends with her?'

'Well… yeah.' Justin said uncomfortably. 'Adrienne and I met her on our honeymoon. We mentioned Salem to her and she was immediately interested. She was just starting her internship at the time…'

'I'm not interested.' Hope interrupted bitterly.

For a while Justin watched her, not knowing what to say.

'All of a sudden he fell in love with her all over again and couldn't wait to get rid of his bitchy, neurotic wife.' Hope said at last, her voice trembling. 'I would have a problem with any woman Bo dates but why does it have to be _her_ of all women? It's so humiliating.' She felt Justin's arms come round her shoulders and tried to shake them off. 'No… don't…'

'Don't be silly.' Justin said gruffly, turning her round to hug her. 'If there's anyone who really needs a shoulder to cry on, it's you. Just let it out.'

Hope's shoulders shook as she sobbed and Justin held her tightly, soothing her with soft, consoling words.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Clarice.'

Clarice tore her eyes away from the priceless pictures on the walls to find herself staring at Victor Kiriakis' hard face. For the umpteenth time, she found it hard to see any resemblance between this career criminal and her lover. The few times they met, she always noticed the same thing; the rather sneering way he pronounced her name. At first it baffled her, today it annoyed her. She hoped Bo and Ciara wouldn't be long; she didn't want a lengthy conversation with Victor.

'Mr Kiriakis.' She replied coolly, folding her arms.

'What's with the formality? After what you did for Hope and my granddaughter, I thought we were past that.' Victor looked at his ex wife carefully, after all this time still trying to get used to the fact that she truly had no memory of her past life as Dr. Carly Manning. The woman who betrayed him and then left Bo later. She was the reason Bo and Hope were no longer married; if she hadn't come back to Salem Bo would never have gone through with the divorce. In spite of her heroic act, he blamed her for that. And it infuriated him that even after so many years, despite her new identity; Bo was immediately affected enough to choose her over his wife. What did Carly ever do except keep more and more secrets from Bo and in the end left him and Shawn for Alamain and their bratty son. Now even Ciara was taken in by her.

'Maybe I'd just rather be formal, Mr Kiriakis.'

'I hope you realize the damage you've done to an innocent woman.'

'Excuse me?'

'My daughter-in-law. How do you sleep at night knowing you destroyed her life?' Hope had returned to the mansion with red eyes a few days ago and it didn't take him long to guess Bo had come clean with her. She however refused to talk about it with him or about Clarice herself.

'I am not going to bother dignifying that _stupid_ question with an answer.' Clarice replied, equally coldly. Her profiler training told her what Kiriakis was doing. He knew the facts about Bo's failed marriage, as well as everyone else. But his unexplainable dislike for her was giving him the need to demean her… a petty attempt to make her feel guilt for something she had no hand in.

Victor tried to stare her down but the green eyes stared back at him; hard and unflinching. There was a time Carly feared him and he had hoped _that_ fear would be enough to bring her back to him. But Bo, not the least bit scared of him, had urged her to go ahead with the annulment. While she was recovering from the injuries she sustained from the elevator crash, he had used veiled threats to get her to change her mind. But there he overplayed his hand, because she had lashed out at him; her fear of him gone. He could still remember her harsh, angry words.

 _'_ _You don't scare me anymore! You don't control me like every other woman you've tried to possess! You're nothing but a fraud Victor, that's all you ever were and what you will always be. I tell you what…why don't you just go to Greece and retire; stay there. That way, nobody in town will know the truth about you… that you are nothing but a miserable, cowardly excuse of a human being. Now get out of here or I'll get up and have you taken away! Consider it a final favour Victor- call it *pity*, I don't care! Just get out!'_

Looking back, Victor believed his hatred for Carly had begun from that moment. He hid it very well for appearances' sake but deep down, the hate was there; growing when she constantly lied to Bo and then went on to break his heart later on. He didn't believe for a moment their break up had been mutual; all he knew is that she hadn't loved Bo enough to stay with him or enough for Bo to fight harder for her. She had played them both for fools. And now she was back, with no memory of her sins. Out of the two of them, Bo was the bigger fool, allowing her back into his life and ending his marriage. It was all _her_ fault. 'You're a home wrecker and a whore.' He said, his attempt at courtesy gone, anticipating her angry reaction. Maybe he could still wear her down and hit a nerve as they battled with words.

'And you're a controlling and manipulative career criminal who thinks _words_ can break me.' was her scornful reply. 'You're trying to get me mad; you're hungry for my reaction to your insults. I've profiled characters like you and I study behaviour so don't think you can say anything to shock me. Bo is an adult, so's Hope. She made her choice that night, no one made it for her. She ignored all advice, including mine. So… I have _nothing_ to be sorry for.'

'You'll be a lot sorrier when I'm done with you.'

Clarice's eyes narrowed. 'A _threat_?' She asked slowly.

Victor inwardly cursed. He'd forgotten she was now in law enforcement and Bo and Roman will fall on him like an avalanche if Carly told them what he just said.

Before he could speak, Bo and Ciara came down the stairs hand in hand. 'Hi, Clarice!' the child exclaimed, running into her arms.

'Hi, sweetie. All set?' The little girl nodded eagerly.

'Come on, girls.' Bo said genially, smiling as Clarice took Ciara's hand. He turned to Victor. 'Tell Hope I'll have Ciara back by six.'

Victor nodded curtly, watching Clarice leave with his son and granddaughter. But the ominous look she gave him on her way out told him she wasn't going to shrug off his words that easily. It was a stupid, impulsive mistake on his part but he couldn't help it, she brought out the worst in him.

How to get her claws off Bo, was the nagging question.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 _She walks in beauty, like the night; of cloudless climes and starry skies…_

 _And all that's best of dark and bright…_

'Princess, are you okay?'

Clarice forced herself back to the present, meeting Bo and Ciara's gaze. 'I'm fine. Why?'

'You're not eating.' Ciara indicated the uneaten sandwich on Carly's plate.

'And you seem far away. What is it?' asked Bo.

'It's nothing really.' Clarice insisted, taking a bite out the roast beef sandwich, though she wasn't hungry like she thought. Those verses keep popping into her head, has been for some time now. It was the poem she heard being recited in her dream. Typing the first line on Google, she'd discovered they were words from Lord Byron's _She Walks in Beauty_ ; a love poem. She wasn't a big fan of poetry but the words just wouldn't fade away from her mind. Not sure what Bo would make of her strange dream, she didn't share it with him; wanting to work it out on her own.

'Are you sure?' Ciara placed her hand on her lap, looking at her anxiously.

'I'm sure.' Clarice leaned over to kiss the child on the forehead, ruffling her hair. Bo looked at her carefully, wondering if she was experiencing another memory. Back in the day they often picnicked with Shawn D at this very park. _Remember something princess_ , he said in his heart; still watching her. In the meantime he was glad she and his daughter were getting along. It was mostly due to Clarice rescuing her and then later saving her from Dean that made Ciara hero-worship her. Contrary to Clarice's fears, Ciara's warm regard of her was still strong and it gladdened his heart.

'Look daddy, Mrs. Hopkins packed us Sno' Balls. Do you want one, Clarice?'

Bo watched, his heart beating fast as Clarice took one from Ciara; wondering if she would experience a flash of memory about the rainy night in a cabin… how he'd lit a match on a Sno' Ball after she told him it was her birthday. The same night they fell in love. It was for that purpose that he especially asked Victor's housekeeper to pack some.

Clarice stared down at the flaky coconut covered snack. Bo watched in anticipation, willing her to remember that night. But she shrugged then bit into it instead. He managed to hide his chagrin, exchanging a smile with her.

Clarice smiled back, pushing the nagging verses from her mind and concentrating on Bo and Ciara. It was a beautiful day; she was with two people she adored and in a lovely setting…

She stared round at her surroundings, the strange feeling of déjà vu coming over her again. Only this time it was more overwhelming.

 _As if I've been here before_ , She thought. _I'm almost certain of it._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

'Just when it looks like she's about to remember something, her mind goes blank again.' Bo told Marlena via Skype. 'And she once had a dream of Larry beating her, another time a memory of him came to her like some sort of premonition. I thought she might remember the night I gave her that Sno' Ball, but she didn't.'

'How did she react to it?' Marlena asked.

'She kept staring at it and I assumed it might trigger something but it didn't.'

'Has she been having other dreams?'

'Other than the one she told me about, I don't know. But I was pretty sure she would at least remember the Sno' Ball; she had a strange look on her face.'

'Hmmm… she probably had a familiar feeling about it, not _exactly_ a memory.' Marlena said, going over everything Bo told her, including Clarice displaying her medical skills while tending to the woman she'd rescued. 'To her, it's just déjà vu; that feeling of experiencing something in the past even though it's a first time. From what you told me, she suffered serious injuries to her head and the implanted memories her doctors carried out only made things worse. Her memories may only come to her mostly in dreams, but it's going to take a long time before she really gets her memory back.'

'You think she might have had other ones besides the one she told me about? Why wouldn't she tell me about them?'

'Because they're probably too foggy for her to put a face on them just yet. If she saw _you_ in her dreams, it's definitely _not_ something she would keep to herself.'

'I guess not.' Bo frowned. He faced John, who was beside Marlena. 'What do you think?'

'I have to agree with Doc here,' John replied. 'For years, I thought I was Roman and you all know how it nearly drove me insane trying to remember my past and along the way, I encountered more lies than the truth. It's definitely going to take a while before she remembers anything. But if you want my personal opinion, I think you and Frankie and maybe Caroline should sit her down and tell her the truth.'

'Absolutely _not_.' Bo objected.

Marlena agreed. 'Of course not, not yet anyway. You will tell her eventually, but that's when her dreams- if she's been having them- become clearer. Just do your best with her, be patient and encourage her to confide in you if you sense something wrong. But also be prepared for the time she _will_ start asking questions. Put together a photo album of any old photos you still got left or anything else from her past with you. Frankie's still keeping in touch to check on her?'

'Yes.'

'That's great because he'll have to be there when the time comes. It could be anytime so you have to be prepared.'

'Right.' Bo turned his head as he heard a car door slam. 'I'll let you know of new developments.'

'Fine, give our love to everyone.'

'Take great care of her, Bo; I don't have to tell you that, anyway.' John added.

'No you don't.' Bo smiled faintly, before signing off and closing the lid of his laptop. He could now hear the click of Clarice's heels as she walked up to the house and went to the door to open the door for her. 'Hi, beautiful.' Taking her hand, he drew her inside. In the middle of their picnic, she'd received a call from Salem's ISA director.

'Hi, I'm so sorry I had to leave like that.' Clarice pressed her lips against Bo's, stroking his cheek before sinking on the couch, peering at the display of treats on the table. 'Oh wine… cheese and strawberries!' Picking up one, she kicked off her shoes and Bo lifted her legs to place them on his lap. 'It wasn't word from New York about going on a mission, was it?' he asked as he began massaging her feet.

Clarice's silence made him look up sharply. Her expression was solemn as she nodded her head. Bo stared at her in dismay. 'But this wasn't what we agreed on with your superiors.'

'We both knew there was a chance I would get called in anyway. And I can't ignore this, Bo; it's my job after all.'

Bo abruptly got up from the couch, anger and anxiety consuming him. The main reason why it arranged for her to be on loan in the first place was to keep her under his eye and help her get her memory back. He's gotten so used to having her around that the sudden news was a sharp reality check, she was an ISA agent risking her life on missions. She believed herself to be Clarice Parker but she was Carly Manning M.D; the woman he wasn't able to protect from the Alamains. Barely a day after she arrived in Salem, she got shot in his own house, the moment she was out of his sight. His fear of something happening to her was justified that day, despite Roman's reassurances. She was a trained agent true enough but she was under _his_ protection. Suppose something happened to her again?

Clarice stared at him, very puzzled at her boyfriend's attitude. It was understandable he would worry about her but she had a feeling it was more than that. Getting up, she walked up to him. 'Hey… don't be like this.' She said, slipping her arms round his waist from behind. Bo turned to face her and she was shocked to see his face so raw with emotion. 'Don't go.'

' _What?_ '

'You heard me; I don't want you to go. Talk to them, let them find some other agent… the ISA's swarming with them anyway.' Bo knew exactly how he was sounding but couldn't help it, he couldn't let her out his sight again. Anything could happen to her out there without him knowing. _She could get captured, or shot… or run into Lawrence._

'I've been doing this long before I ever _met_ you. I can look after myself, you know.' Clarice reminded him.

'It doesn't mean I _can't worry_ about the woman I love!' Bo said harshly, wishing he could carry out John's advice right there and then. 'I worry about the people that I love and care about, that's _who_ I am, princess.'

'I _know_ that!' Clarice exclaimed. 'But I've been on several missions; I'm always careful and focused…'

'It's about _you_ , not casting doubts on your capabilities; don't you see?'

Clarice sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. 'Bo, even if I wasn't ISA, I still wouldn't expect you to hold my hand every minute. I love you but you have to understand who I am too. I know you're worried about me, but you can't let fear keep me chained to you every second. After all, I've been on the field with you and Roman all this time. And I'm sure you never wrapped Hope in cotton wool either, even if you were always worried about her safety.' Her words were mildly reproachful but it struck a nerve. Years ago, she accused him of treating her like a helpless damsel in distress and she was angry at the time. _I'm not going to cower in the shadows while you play the detective; I *don't* need a man to run things for her!_ How can he make her understand the danger she was in without rousing her suspicions?

He took hold of her hands. 'I'm sorry if I'm being overprotective and weird but after you got shot, right here, I felt responsible for you and I promised myself after you began working for us that I'll never let anything happen to you. After we fell in love, it became more than that, I got _scared_ of anything happening to you.'

Clarice was touched. 'Oh… honey,' she whispered, touching his face. 'Nothing's going to happen to me, _nothing_. I'll be safe and back in your arms before you know it.' She pulled his head down and he kissed her fiercely, arms locked round her protectively.

'Come,' she said, when the kiss ended. 'Let's enjoy the rest of our evening.'

'Okay,' he said quietly, hiding his inner distress, frantically wondering how on earth he could stop her from going and finding no answer.

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Victor looked up at the knock on his study door. 'Come in.'

Hope entered, closing the door behind her. 'We need to talk.'

'Good… because I've been wanting to talk to you too.'

'Hold it,' Hope raised a hand before Victor could continue, 'If it's about Clarice, I don't want to talk about her with you. I've heard enough about her already.' Aside from what Bo told her, Justin had included some more info which reinforced her opinion that Bo would've found it too painful to talk about Carly. And much as she was still very sore about the present situation, she was going to keep her promise to Bo about not letting Victor influence her or let him know Clarice was ISA. So far, he still thought she was FBI and Hope wasn't going to endanger her for anything. Victor was a career criminal and now that she knew his history with Clarice, he might throw her to the wrongs hands out of sheer spite. 'I just wanted to let you know that Ciara and I will be moving out day after tomorrow. We're moving in with Aunt Maggie.' Very lonely since Mickey's death, Maggie was more than eager to have Hope and Ciara live with her.

'I still don't understand why you let Bo have the house. You do realize he'll be meeting that _woman_ there?'

 _Bo was right,_ Hope thought, feeling a wave of anger and disgust towards Victor. The reason she let Bo have in the house in the divorce- in spite of his protests- was because of Ciara's recurring nightmares of Dean attacking them in their own home and shooting Clarice right in front of her. 'I told you, I _don't_ want to discuss Clarice with you.'

'Believe it or not, I'm only trying to be supportive; like I've been since the night you moved in.' Victor snapped. 'I just don't understand you, the way you paved the way for that whore, letting her steal your husband from right under your nose. If you had more sense, you would've taken my advice as well as everybody else's instead of wrapping yourself with hurt pride.'

Victor's sanctimonious airs and harsh words stung Hope so much that she couldn't resist replying angrily, 'Wasn't it your own _hurt pride_ that made you decide to do all you could to destroy Bo's life and then setting him up to be killed? You were willing to deprive my son of his father! Bo told me everything and I mean _everything_ , so how dare you lecture _me_ about hurt pride!'

'It was a moment of insanity; I didn't know what I was doing at the time,' was Victor's angry mutter. 'And it's water under the bridge, Bo shouldn't have told you about that.'

'Right, just like he shouldn't have told me how you ordered your animals to set fire on our boat,' Hope went on relentlessly, 'and then faking your death to frame an innocent woman!'

'She _deserved_ it!' Victor snarled, losing his temper completely. 'Bo treated her like garbage and I did all I could to make her forget him and move on but what did she do? She betrayed me and went back to him the moment he snapped his fingers! She should've just _died_ in that damned elevator shaft that night! At least Bo wouldn't have had to watch her abandon him and Shawn Douglas for Lawrence Alamain… the man she never really got over, no matter the lies she told him! She's a snake in the green grass and obviously Lawrence realized that later!'

' _No_ _woman_ deserves to be abused, Victor!' Hope hurled back, shocked by Victor's words. 'And I don't want to discuss Bo or Clarice with you anymore! Wrap yourself in your hate, I don't care. Ciara and I will be leaving day after tomorrow and right now, I can't wait to get away from you.'

'Go to the devil for all I care,' Victor snarled at her. 'You brought this whole mess on yourself so you might as well indulge in your self-pity elsewhere!'

Hope slammed the door after her, her hands shaking. There was sheer malevolence in Victor's eyes when he spoke about Clarice; his words laced with more hatred than anger. The woman was his sworn enemy, no doubt about it. He might even tell Lawrence Alamain she was still alive. _No, surely he wouldn't dare go that far_ , she thought, _he wouldn't deliberately endanger Bo… even after what he did years ago. But still, Bo needs to watch his back. I have to talk to him about it._ She glanced at her watch. 9:40 p.m. Bo was probably with _her_ right now. She sighed, feeling a stabbing ache in her chest again but it didn't weaken her resolve to warn Bo about Victor. There was no point talking to Clarice about it; she had no memory of her marriage to Victor, besides the fact she wasn't ready to face her just yet.

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Bo and Clarice made their way through the treats and half the bottle of wine, Clarice refusing another refill when he offered her some. She lay back against the cushions as he resumed massaging her feet. She sensed he was still upset about her assignment; all through their conversation on various topics he was subdued, hardly cracking a smile. She understood he was worried about her but she hated what that fear was doing to him. He's been in law enforcement for a very long time and has liaised with the ISA from time to time; surely he knew what the agents had to face and risk during their missions. The fact she was his lover shouldn't make her that different from the other agents to want to shield her every minute. 'Hey,' she said, leaning over to rub the back of his neck, making him look up. He smiled faintly, reading the concern on her face. 'I'm sorry, princess. I guess I wasn't able to hide how I feel about you going away.'

'You have nothing to apologize for.'

'It's just so hard for me to relax, knowing you're going out there and wondering if you'll be safe.'

Clarice moved her legs off his lap and moved closer to him. 'Well, why don't I… _relax_ you, right now.' she whispered before lowering her mouth on his. Bo's arms immediately went round her, kissing her back passionately. Clarice's hand moved down to the front of his jeans, stroking him gently. Bo abruptly ended the kiss; his eyes not leaving her face as he tugged his shirt off and stopped her from taking off her top herself by doing it for her; before lowering her on the couch. Clarice arched her back as his warm lips moved from her mouth to the side of her neck, down her breasts to her stomach; unzipped her jeans and tugged them down, off her legs and tossed them aside. Moving over her, he reclaimed her mouth, hungry fingers moving over her soft skin.

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After making love on the couch, they took it upstairs and make love again on the big double bed; the first time they've ever done it there. Their impending temporary separation further intensified their lovemaking until they lay against each other, spent and panting. Bo cradled her in his arms until she fell asleep. When he was sure she was sleeping soundly, he gently slipped out of bed, pulled on a robe and went downstairs. Finding his cell in his discarded jeans, he dialled Abe's number. 'Something wrong?' Abe asked after the quick exchange of greetings.

'Oh, there's something wrong, _really_ wrong.'

Abe listened in silence as Bo explained. 'What the hell do we do?' he demanded.

'Other than telling Shaw and the Director in New York the whole truth about her, what _can_ we do? How will we begin to even explain it to them, Bo? If we tell them anything, they'll insist Clarice be told too and she's definitely not ready for that.'

'No, she's not.' Bo ran a hand over his tousled hair in frustration.

'We just have to risk letting her go, Bo; I don't see how we can prevent it.' Abe said soberly. 'Where is she going anyway?'

'Russia.'

'It's not exactly a tourist spot; the odds she might run into Alamain are very slim. And if you're still worried about her coming back safe, remember she's trained and skilled. I understand your worry and I share it but we just have to risk it. Or… I can call Shane to have one of the agency's contacts out there to keep an eye on her, discreetly of course. She won't have to know about it and will keep our minds at rest.'

Bo knew his mind wouldn't be at rest, even with Abe's suggestion. All the same, it would have to do. 'Fine, arrange it with Shane and have him call me.'

'Will do.'

'Honey?' Clarice said just as Bo hung up. He spun round to find her on the landing wearing one of his shirts; several sizes too big for her. She looked at him, her face flushed from sleep. 'Who were you talking to?'

'Abe. I didn't want to wake you so I took it down here. Did I wake you?' he asked, going to her.

Clarice smiled lazily, arms moving up to encircle his neck. 'Not really,' she replied as his arms went round her waist. 'The bed just suddenly felt big and empty without you.' Bo lowered his head to kiss her lingeringly and she clung to him. 'Mmm… I love you.' She nuzzled his neck.

'I love you too, princess.' Bo whispered fervently, hugging her close; hoping and praying she'll come back to him in one piece, without any shadows following her.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Hope wasted no time telling Bo about her encounter with his father. 'Victor hates her, _really_ _hates_ her. You should've heard the way he spoke about her, it was horrible. You both need to watch your backs, Carly… I mean _Clarice…_ especially. He could easily do something to hurt her, just out of spite.'

Bo, nodded, a scowl on his face. 'I'll talk to him. Thanks for letting me know about it.'

'But all the same Bo… don't you think you're endangering yourself by being with her?'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'You needn't take that tone with me, Bo.' Hope said coldly. 'Lawrence Alamain sounds far more ruthless than Victor and very dangerous. If he ever finds out Clarice's still alive, he'll come after her… and _you_. He might even come after the family.'

'It won't come to that.'

'I know you feel like you can handle a man like Alamain but you got to think of the consequences as well!' Hope insisted. 'Have you even thought about this at all?'

'Of course I have, why would you think otherwise?'

At first it seemed Hope was going to regard his question as rhetorical but she replied in a low voice, 'Your passion for her is clouding your judgment. Like it or not, she's still that man's wife and he will come for her the moment he finds out she's her in Salem. Don't you have a care of what might happen to the family if you and Alamain take your feud really far?'

Bo glared at Hope, filled with resentment. It may be _her_ idea of showing she still cared about him but all the same was talking down to him as if he was some starry-eyed sucker. 'I'm more than capable of protecting my family… _and_ Clarice. None of them come first over the other, like you're insinuating. Just like I'm more than capable of handling Alamain if he ever comes back here and this time, he's going to see just how much I'll hurt him he so much as lay a finger on her again. I know him but he knows me and just what I'm capable of when it comes to the people I love.'

Hope flinched at the chilly tone in his voice. 'I _wasn't_ implying you cared about Clarice above the family.' She muttered, though that was exactly what she had done.

'Well, I don't, just so you know.' Bo replied, refusing to get into an argument with her. She no longer had the power to make him feel unworthy. 'I'll deal with Victor later and I'm prepared for Larry, you don't have to worry about that.'

'Listen Brady, I'm saying all this because I'm worried, not casting any doubts about you.'

'Oh really?' Bo sneered. 'You sure have a shorter memory than I do then. And didn't you say earlier that I was letting my _passion_ as you called it- cloud my judgment?'

Hope blushed red with mortification. She should have known he would bring her unfair behaviour up, and maybe she should've put her words more tactfully. She wasn't doing a very good job trying to adapt to the new situation, but what else did she expect? She still loved Bo and after so many years together, it was far too difficult for her to see him differently. ' _Must_ you keep doing this?' she said at last, dark eyes glinting from suppressed tears. 'Even though things have changed so much between us, I don't expect you to be so petty, the way you keep rubbing what I did in my face… as if I haven't regretted it enough. I'm not your enemy, all right?'

Bo suddenly felt ashamed of himself. Hope was right, he _was_ being petty. She had no right to assume he valued Clarice above his own family but all the same bringing up what happened during and after Ciara's kidnap was downright mean of him. He was in a different place and with a different woman; he shouldn't be nursing or bringing up old resentments. And he certainly would never consider Hope his enemy. 'I'm sorry,' he said, reaching out to her. But Hope, feeling really hurt, didn't want a 'pity' hug from him; hence edged away from him with dignity. 'I'm said what needs to be said. Just watch your back, that's all.' She said coolly before leaving his office, closing the door behind her.

Maybe part of her blunt words had sprung from jealousy but overall, Hope had meant well. Even though she was no longer married to him, she still considered his family as hers, naturally would be concerned about their well being. Bo promised himself he would apologize to Hope properly later. As he resumed his work, his iPhone suddenly bleeped. It was a text message from an unknown number:

 _All's Well; I love you. C_

 _Clarice!_ He thought, heart clenching. She wasn't supposed to send it at all but Bo was very glad she did. He missed her terribly, worrying over her safety and the old aching void he'd felt when she walked out of his life years ago consumed him so much that he found himself unable to sleep since she kissed him goodbye at the airport. But it was completely different this time. She was coming back to him, _will_ come back to him. 'I love you too, princess.' He said softly, running his thumb over the phone screen as though rubbing her soft cheek. Only when she was safely back in his arms will he feel better.

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From the scowl on his son's face, Victor knew the reason for his visit. 'Before you say anything, hear me out first. You didn't have to tell Hope what went on between us and Carly. It was a very long time ago, how dare you put me under the bus like that?'

'Hope had the right to know the truth and exactly what you're capable of and I wasn't about to let you poison her mind about Carly.'

Victor snorted. 'You've never believed I've changed, have you Bo? To you, I'll always be the ruthless gangster.'

'Who once tried to kill me, had my home burnt to a shell and almost destroyed Carly's life? No Victor, you are incapable of changing who you are. And after what Hope told me, I'm even more certain of it.' Bo's eyes were like gimlets. 'I came by to warn you and it's no idle threat. Don't think you're invisible or above the law. If you do anything to harm Clarice, I'll make you pay in ways you can't imagine.'

'What exactly do you think I would do?' Victor snapped. 'I don't care about that tramp to waste my precious time with her.'

'Come on Victor, if there's one thing you have besides this stupid bitterness over your failed marriage with her, it's _spite_. And it doesn't take a genius to guess just what you can do to spite her, like say tell an equally ruthless bastard that Clarice is still alive.'

'Don't you put me in the same drawer as Lawrence Alamain.'

'You were once married to the heartless bitch who buried her alive. And I didn't tell Hope anything about you that wasn't true. You're capable of doing just about anything so quit trying to sound as white as snow. This is _me_ you're talking to remember? And by the way… don't you dare call the woman I love a tramp in front of me again, ever.'

' _The woman you love_ … how could you do it… choosing her over Hope; the mother of your children? Carly left you and Shawn Douglas for Alamain in the first place! She…'

'She _what_ …she got what she deserved from him, isn't that what you want to say? Go ahead, finish what you want to say!' Bo snarled at him. 'And you wonder why I think of you the way I do. I'm certainly justified!'

Victor turned away, trembling with anger. He hated Carly true enough but for his son to think so badly of him… it _wounded_ him. He knew his conversation with Hope made her warn Bo but in truth they were simply words…. words of anger. He was no saint but he would never endanger Bo or the family by informing Alamain about Carly. But his history with Bo and Carly were against him, it was going to be difficult to convince Bo he had no plans of doing what he assumed. He turned back to stare at Bo who was still scowling, his eyes hard. 'Maybe I've not been the father Shawn Brady was to you,' he said gruffly. 'But I'm not the man I was several years ago either. You don't need to waste your anger or threats on me, I'm _not_ going to contact Alamain… or Vivian. You have my word on that.' He held out his hand for a handshake but Bo didn't take it, still thinking over what Hope told him, that Victor had wished Clarice had died in the elevator that terrible night. If it was said out of sheer anger, Bo didn't believe it, all the more reason to protect Clarice even more closely. 'None the less, I'll be keeping my eye on you, Victor, count on that. I'll see myself out.'

Victor sat down on, for the umpteenth time wishing Carly Manning never came back to Salem.

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 _Russia_

Two figures strode along a darkened alley between two apartment buildings until they reached a side entrance. The taller of the two punched some numbers on a keypad and they went in after the door buzzed open, glad to escape from the icy cold air. No words were exchanged during the ride in the creaky elevator or the walk down the dark narrow passageway to the far end. The door was unlocked and they entered, firmly locking the door behind them.

'Risking our necks the way we do, you would think they would provide better digs.' Agent Dalton, code name "White Fox" said, scanning the tiny apartment with distaste as he took off his heavy jacket. Moving to a desk at the corner, he immediately set up their sophisticated communications system to speak with the Director, while Clarice switched on the thermostat, feeling the cold numbness leave her body as the radiators gushed out soothing warm air. As soon as they were patched in, they both gave a summarised report. The Director congratulated them on a job well done; addressing them by their code names and looked forward to see them in New York for debriefing. After five days on the move, the tiny flat and the old but comfortable couch she lay on was a huge relief to Clarice And an even better relief… the mission was a success and she'll be back in Salem, back with Bo… the love of her life. It's a wonder she was able to concentrate on the mission at all, her time away from him seemed like an eternity.

'Don't worry; you'll be back with him in no time.' Dalton's voice broke into her thoughts. She looked up to see him grinning. 'I'm assuming you're thinking about the rugged Commissioner Brady.' He laughed as Clarice's blush confirmed his suspicions. 'You kept a good secret, Juno,' addressing her by her code name, 'but I saw the light in your eyes whenever you mentioned him. You're really into him, aren't you?' he asked, settling down on an armchair opposite her and began pulling off his boots.

'We're in a relationship, yes.' Clarice said, feeling herself blushing even redder, to her annoyance.

'Committed?'

' _Very_ committed.'

Dalton's amused expression turned into a frown. 'Really? But you're supposed to be in Salem for just a year. What's going to happen after that… a long distance relationship? That hardly ever works.'

'I'm aware of that,' Clarice replied coolly. 'It's something I'll have to talk to Bo about.' She had no intention of doing such a thing but she didn't want to discuss it further with Dalton. Dalton saw the resolute look on her face and wisely kept his peace, getting up to go to the kitchen to make coffee and raid the stocked larder. Dalton had naturally assumed she and Bo would maintain a "Skype" relationship once her year with Salem P.D was over. What he didn't know was that she loved Bo more than enough to do something she'd long decided on but was yet to tell Bo himself. A few more days and she'll see Bo again…

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Using his credentials to enter the customs hall, Bo scanned the emerging travellers, looking for Clarice. She called him from New York a few days ago, telling him when her plane coming in. The anticipation was killing him.  
And finally he saw her walking towards him and he savoured her joy in her return.

Clarice's eyes met his, her face breaking into a smile as she hurried over to him; into his eager, outstretched arms. Not caring people were milling around and probably enjoying the show, their kiss was deep, feverish and passionate; tightly enfolded in each other's arms. Bo raised his head, to stroke her hair and look into her vibrant green eyes. 'Welcome home, princess,' he said softly before kissing her again. Clarice clung to him, happy tears stinging her eyes.

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Bo showed Clarice how much he'd missed her later that night. Taking her by the hand upstairs, he led her to his room where they shed each other's clothes before sinking on to the bed. Desperately in need for each other, they skipped foreplay, Clarice thrusting her body against his as he thrust into her, her nails raking his back as they moved together; their reunion almost unbearably passionate as they rode on waves of sheer ecstasy until reaching the pinnacle together; Bo pressing his face against the side of her neck. Long afterwards, they lay against each other in the dark, blissfully content as they talked in low tones. Bo stroked her hair, pressing a light kiss on her forehead. 'I've been thinking a lot since you've been away, about us.'

The hand rubbing his chest stilled. 'What about us?' she asked, fear in her voice.

'No, nothing bad.' Bo squeezed her bare shoulder reassuringly. 'It's just the longer you were away, the more I realized I can't stand being without you. And I kept thinking about our present situation.' Clarice moved in his arms, shifting to look up at him.

'The separate houses thing we've got going on. I think we need to put an end to it, don't you?'

'You're asking me to move in with you?' Clarice asked quietly.

'Yes I am.' Bo replied, his voice also quiet. 'I want you with me, every night; see you whenever I walk through the door. For the rest of our lives, I want us to be together.'

 _For the rest of our lives_. It was something Bo had told her ages ago yet those heartfelt words held an even deeper meaning to Clarice. When he'd first declared his love for her, she'd felt they were moving a tad too fast; since he was just about to end an over two decade marriage. But later she realised just how they were deeply connected on so many levels that nothing else mattered. Her time away from him had further shown her that he was a huge part of her soul. She touched his face, her thumb moving over his lower lip, loving him so much. She had no doubts about her long unquestionable decision; it was absolutely sealed. 'I want that too,' she replied, her voice trembling slightly. 'So much so that… I've decided that after my official time in Salem is over, I'm going to resign from the ISA.'

Bo was silent and she could feel him staring at her in the dark. 'You would do that?' he asked at last, his arms tightening round her. 'Are you sure about this?'

'I can't stand being away from you either. You're the love of my life Bo Brady; my whole life.'

'Oh, Princess…' Bo kissed her hard and hugged her close, humbled by the power of Clarice's love. For a long time he'd agonised over how to put the question of her job to her, but had been afraid she would accuse him of immediately assuming she would be willing to give up it all up for him. He'd never felt so relieved or happier. 'Thank you.'

'My place is here with you,' Clarice said softly, kissing him again, hooking a leg over his hip. Moving over her, Bo's hand moved between her legs; his fingers caressing her until she was trembling with desire. Her arms went round his neck, pulling him down and they made love all over again.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

He balefully stared at the image on his phone again. Dark glasses, clad in a black expensive looking coat and looking older but he was more than certain it was her. _The bitch was alive_.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Alamain stared out of the window, lost in thought, not seeing the beauty of the blue sky before him. For a long time after his shattering discovery, he allowed his anger and bitterness consume him, filled with hatred for the woman who he was now on his way to find and confront. A woman he'd loved so much and thought loved him... something she'd often assured him. And he'd believed it... at least until the fateful night she disappeared. He'd nursed so much anger and bitterness, more so after her supposed death; for a long time wondering just why she did what she did in the first place.

Stumbling on her in Russia had given him a terrible shock, followed by anger and the immediate need to have it out with her. But where to start? He had no idea how to find her... or what name she now went by, if she even changed it at all.

An old friend of his from college, who ran a large and very successful security and private investigating company, was given the task after Alamain confided in him. But he came up empty... no trace of Carly Manning, Katerina Alamain or even Katerina Von Leuschner. Which means she must have changed her name.

Then it finally hit him... _Salem_. And why not? She once went there to hide from her past... why wouldn't she go back there again? It was once in a million chance and he might end up wrong but why shouldn't he see if his hunch was right?

Hence, his trip over the Atlantic towards America.

To Salem.

To the woman who betrayed him.

And he vowed to make her pay.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Clarice rubbed her aching head. Lately, she'd been having trouble sleeping; general restlessness and the same nightmare of the dark menace hitting her. And for some reason, she had also been experiencing a strange and rather disturbing feeling she was yet to understand... or confide in Bo about. He was even happier these days, ever since she moved in with him, hence her reluctance to burden him about it.

'Knock, Knock...' Clarice raised her eyes as Bo entered her office. 'Ready to go to lunch?'

'Oh...' Clarice glanced at her watch, surprised at how fast the hours had passed. 'Sure.' Getting up, she reached for her jacket.

Bo took her arm as soon as they were out of the building. At her insistence, they didn't display any show of affection while at work, Clarice still heedful of Hope's feelings about their relationship. Hope was polite but cool towards her but at least it was far better than hostility and Clarice didn't want to do anything to antagonise her.

On his part, while Bo understood and respected his girlfriend's decision, he still felt Clarice was feeling guilt she had no reason to feel towards Hope. And she worried him. Aside from the nightmare she's been having more often, her moodiness hadn't escaped his notice. Whether it was the nightmare she's been having more often these days, he had no idea but he wished she would talk to him about it instead of keeping it to herself.

'Princess, what's going on with you?' he asked finally, over their lunch at the Brady Pub, after watching her pick at her food.

Clarice looked up, green eyes startled. 'What do you mean?'

Bo sighed, exasperated. 'Don't do that, pretend you don't know what I'm talking about and then shutting me out. You haven't been yourself lately and you won't talk to me about it. What's the point of us being together if you won't let me in?'

Clarice winced, ashamed of herself. She reached out across the table for his hand, his fingers immediately enfolding hers. 'I'm sorry. Believe me; it's not like that at all.'

Bo squeezed her hand. 'I want you to feel you can talk to me about anything. So what's going on? Is it about the nightmare again?'

She nodded. 'That... and something else. And the reason why I haven't talked about it with you is because I'm not sure how to describe it and I didn't want to burden you with it.'

Bo shook his head, his expression incredulous. ' _Burden_ me?'

Clarice lowered her eyes, feeling even more ashamed.

'Now, tell me... what is it?' His piercing brown eyes probed her face. Before she could speak he added, 'Is it probably second thoughts about moving in with me?'

'No... _No_ , _of_ _course not._ ' Clarice said vehemently. 'It's just... lately I've been feeling so _disconnected_.'

'In what way?'

'In the all the years I've been in law enforcement and then later Intelligence... I've always been focused on the job. What I did and who I am; protecting victims and serving my country. Then... all of a sudden...' she stared down at her hand, 'I feel...' her voice trembled, 'I feel it's not what I was meant for or do... carrying a gun... killing people. All of a sudden, I feel it's been another person doing that all this time...'

'Princess, you've never killed anyone who never tried to kill you first. It was either them or you.' Bo reminded her forcibly. 'You're a trained agent and a patriot and you've been one far too long to suddenly beat yourself up like this.'

' _Why_ do I feel like this all of a sudden then?' Clarice whispered. 'This and the nightmares I keep having, it's almost like I'm living in a stranger's body, living someone else's life. Suddenly, I don't know what's wrong with me, Bo. I just don't know...'

'Hey, Hey...' Pulling her to her feet, Bo held her tightly in his arms, consoling her. She clung to him, trembling. Worried, Bo made a mental note to consult Marlena again, wishing for the umpteenth time she was home to really help Clarice. Maybe what she was now experiencing was a sign she will actually start remembering things at last.

'You know what...' he pulled back to look down at her, running a finger under her damp eyes. 'I think all this came about from _stress_.'

Clarice's eyebrows rose in askance.

'Think about it, you've been running yourself ragged ever since you've been on loan and then there was that mission to Russia. You're pretty much burned out.' It was most certainly not the case but it was the only thing he can say to calm her and to his relief, her eyes looked a little less haunted as she pondered on his explanation.

'You're probably right...yeah, that's probably the reason.' She sat back down and Bo moved his chair closer to hers, watching her anxiously. 'But that nightmare... I don't know why I keep having it. And it's always the same one. I can only hear a voice never the face.' She shook her head, her expression troubled again. Bo rubbed her arm.

'I wish I knew how I could help you with that, Princess.'

Clarice smiled faintly, touching his cheek. 'You _are_ , just by listening. You keep reminding me how lucky I am.' Leaning over, she kissed him. 'Thank you.'

Bo smiled back, raising her hand to his lips, holding it between his. 'Tell you what... why don't we go away somewhere? You certainly need _and_ deserve some time off anyway. I'm pretty sure you'll feel much better after spending at least ten days on a beach.'

Clarice smiled again, this time a tad brighter than before. 'That definitely sounds like a good idea. Will you really be able to come with me though?'

'Not only do I have some unused vacation time, I wouldn't _dream_ of letting you go alone.' Bo smiled back, very pleased to see how much she'd cheered up. But he still needed to talk to Marlena.

Spurred by Bo's welcome suggestion, Clarice sat straighter in her chair. 'So what do you have in mind for us?'

'I'll let you know at home tonight.' As he spoke, Caroline came up to them. 'Hi Mum.'

Caroline patted her son's shoulder and kissed Clarice on the cheek. 'I hardly see you two these days.'

'Work hazard Mum, sorry about that.'

'I can easily imagine, seeing how Clarice looks right now. She's got circles under her eyes... just how many hours do you keep this girl working every day?'

'Mum...' Bo protested, while Clarice chuckled quietly.

'I don't work harder than anyone else down at the station. And trust me; Bo's a _thoughtful_ boss, even if he can be a bit of a pain sometimes.'

'Thanks a lot.' Bo made a face at her. Caroline still didn't look amused, her eyes on Clarice.

'Seriously dear, are you okay? You've hardly even touched your plate.'

'I'm _fine_. I've just been going through some stuff but I'm better now, I promise. Bo and I just talked it out and everything's okay now.'

'Well, I'll be more convinced after you get more colour on those cheeks and do something about those lines under your eyes. Now _eat_ _up_.' With a smile, she left them. Clarice was somewhat more cheerful as they enjoyed the rest of their lunch break; on the walk back to the station, she was eager to know where they'll be going for their vacation. They were halfway back to the station when Alamain's cab pulled up in front of _The Java_. Paying the driver, he got out; scanning his surroundings through his sun glasses. _The same_ _and yet not the same_ , he thought with no interest. He had no liking for the town now or several years ago. All he wanted to find that bitch and drag her back with him by the scruff of her neck if he had to. She had a lot to answer for.

Inside he ordered a latte, wondering how to broach the subject without arousing suspicion. Salem was not exactly a small town but he knew from experience word spread fast.

'You're not from around here.' The waitress, who looked to be in her thirties, set his order before him, her face mildly inquisitive.

'It is that obvious?' Alamain asked dryly.

'It's your accent, European right?'

'You're very perceptive. Yes.' He nodded. 'I am actually here on business... and to catch up on an old friend.' He paused, the first name coming to mind, 'Shawn Douglas Brady.'

'Oh dear... you won't find Shawn D here I'm afraid. He moved to Chicago with his family ages ago.'

 _The Bradys left Salem? Damn it!_ 'Oh, that's a shame; I was really looking forward to surprise him.'

'You can go over to The Brady Pub and ask his grandmother for his address if you like.'

 _Rewind._ 'But you said Shawn Douglas moved away with his family...'

 _'_ No, No... I mean his wife and little girl. The rest of the family still live here. His grandmother, his parents...'

 _Parents? As in Plural?_ Did she actually dare come back to marry _him?_ He sipped his latte, forcing himself to act affable. 'That's excellent. I imagine Bo and Carly are still very much in love.'

The waitress frowned. ' _Carly?_ You mean Hope, right?'

 _Hope?_ 'Uh of course, it's been a very long time, I got confused. Forgive me.'

The waitress shrugged. 'No big deal. They got divorced months ago anyway. You would think a couple like those two would stay married forever but it was just one of those things. Bo even has a new girlfriend now. I can't imagine how Hope's able to cope working at the same place with her.'

He'd come all the way here for _nothing_. When he thought of Salem, he'd immediately assumed that Carly had immediately found refuge with the Bradys again, Bo eagerly taking her back into his arms. What a fool he was. Yet he was so sure he would find her here. He sighed angrily as the chatty waitress moved away to attend to another customer.

A wasted journey all together. He might as well just book a suite at the best hotel in this hick town and go home in the morning. He glanced round and then a framed newspaper clip on a wall nearby caught his eye. He put down his cup abruptly and strode over to get a better look.

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Before leaving the station for the day, Bo sent an email to Marlena about the latest development in Clarice's condition, urging her to get back to him immediately. Now that Clarice was living with him, he could no longer communicate via Video Calls, for fear of her walking in on the conversation.

Roman had something he wanted Clarice's input on, so she told Bo not to wait for her; requesting that he picked up a movie from the video rental store on the way home. Passing _The Java_ , Bo pulled over to pick up some pastries.

'Did Shawn D's buddy stop by the station?' the waitress asked as he pulled out his wallet.

'Shawn D's buddy?'

'Uh huh... he just arrived in town on business and said he wanted to catch up with him. Of course I told him Shawn D's in Chicago. But he said a weird thing though... he thought you were married to some woman called _Carly_.'

Bo's eyes narrowed. 'What did this guy look like?'

The woman smiled, the image of the handsome stranger vividly coming to mind. 'Absolutely gorgeous and the with the most fantastic European accent. Before he left, he kept staring at the clipping we put up there.' She pointed to it and Bo's blood ran cold.

As soon as he got outside, he pulled out his cell. 'Ro, where's Clarice?'

'She just went home, why?'

 _'_ _Damn it!'_

'Bo... what's wrong?'

'Larry's in town, why else would he be here unless he somehow tracked her down! I have to get to her!'

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Clarice opened the door at the sound of the bell. 'Hello, can I help you?' She asked.

Alamain stared at her incredulously, unable to believe her audacity. If it hadn't been for the newspaper clipping, showing a photograph of her standing between Bo Brady and the town's Mayor, he would have been none the wiser. And here she was, putting up an elaborate charade. 'How dare you?' he hissed, shoving her hard, forcing her backwards.

'Who the hell are you?' Clarice snapped, shocked. 'And what do you want?'

Alamain fought to control his temper, a very difficult task because he was seriously angry. 'After all these years, years of lies... that's all you can come up with, you heartless bitch!' Unable to control himself, he slapped her across the face, causing her to stumble. But he then found himself raising his hands after she pulled out an automatic from under a jacket lying on the couch.

'Oh no wait...wait... let's not be hasty.' He said, anger abating. 'I'm... I'm sorry I hit you, I didn't mean to.'

'Who are you?' Clarice asked harshly, her gun still aimed at him. 'Who are you working for... talk!'

He stared at her, now suddenly feeling like he was the crazy one. 'You know exactly who I am...'

'Get down on your knees right now!' a familiar voice snarled from behind. Alamain turned and Bo managed to recover enough to hit him across the face, causing him to fall down hard.

'Hold on...' he said weakly. Bo's fist knocked him out.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Alamain was dragged out of the holding cell and escorted to the interrogation room. After the handcuffs were removed, the uniformed officer left him alone to his thoughts. As he waited, his confusion grew as he thought about Carly. She had changed her name and discarded her medical career; two main reasons why she had remain hidden for so long. But had he changed that much over the years that she couldn't even _recognise_ him? What _the hell_ was going on? If he didn't know any better, he would swear she didn't _know_ him!

He looked up as Bo entered the room, accompanied by another man he recognised as his brother Roman. He tensed, seeing the nasty scowl on Bo's face.

'I knew you no-good Alamains would show up sooner or later. Bo growled, glaring at him.

Alamain reddened with anger, bristling. 'I will _not_ be spoken to like that...'

'Save the royal theatrics for somebody who cares, Nicky.'

'Don't you presume to address me by _that_ name; I'm not a little boy anymore!' Carly's son-now a grown man-shouted at back, outraged. 'And I demand to speak with my mother... right now!'

'You don't have the right to demand anything, _Nicky_.' Bo replied coldly, disgusted by his arrogance. _Just like Lawrence._ Although the young man had Clarice's eyes, he was the living image of his scumbag father who beat her severely and left her to die...and left her in her present condition. 'Your mother won't see you. Even if she wanted to, it's only going to be when I say so.'

'And who do you think you are that you can keep my mother away from me, especially when she has a lot to answer for!' He sneered derisively. 'But then again, why am I surprised? I should have known when she suddenly decided to abandon her husband and son; she'll end up back with her peasant lover! Nothing but a shameless slut...'

Bo's palm viciously struck him across the face, throwing him back on the chair so hard, he fell off. Bo pulled him to his feet by grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket. 'Don't you ever talk about your mother like that in front of me again, _ever_!'

'Let go of me.' Nicholas hissed, green eyes flashing defiantly.

'Bo, let him go,' came Roman's calm voice from behind.

Bo pushed the younger man back onto the chair, wiping his hands on his jeans derisively.

'We can't talk over this situation in the middle of both your tempers.' Roman went on. 'I managed to stop Carly from coming down here but she's obviously going to ask questions and we have to decide on what she'll be told.'

Nicholas's eyes darted from him and back to Bo. ' _What she'll be told?_ What do you mean by that? What in _God's name_ is going on here? I demand to speak with her!'

'It won't do you any good to talk to her right now, Nicky.'

'I said...'

'I don't give a damn what you prefer right now.' Roman's voice was now cold. 'I don't give a damn about you, I care a lot about your Mum and so do a lot of people. You need to listen to us and listen to us you will. You don't exist in Carly's mind right now. She doesn't know you.'

Nicholas wondered if this was some elaborate expensive joke. ' _What?'_

'She has _amnesia_ , you idiot.' Bo snapped. 'She doesn't remember you, your father or her past. No thanks to you father who almost beat her to death.'

'Don't you dare slander my father! They had their problems...all married couples do, but he never laid a hand on her. She's the one who left him, who abandoned me!'

'Typical...making it all about you. I figured your father must have fed your enough lies to poison your mind against her.'

'I know the _true_ facts!' Nicholas spat. 'And that story about amnesia is nothing but a fabrication...I don't believe you.'

'Yeah well, here's a refresher course on _truth_.' Abe walked in, holding the file on Clarice. Roman looked at Bo who shook his head. 'You tell him.' He said, not trusting himself to do so without losing his temper again. He turned away to lean against the wall, arms folded as Roman sat opposite Nicholas Alamain and told him the truth about his mother, Abe filling in some gaps. Nicholas' expression turned from incredulous to shocked, hands clenched on the table. Given the file, he went through it, his hands shaking as he read through every aspect of Shane's report.

Finally he sat back, one hand covering his trembling mouth. 'All this time,' he whispered. 'All this time... he told me she was dead, that...that she drowned in a boating accident...the night she left us.' He raised his damp eyes to look at the three men. 'I didn't know he did this... I swear it. I thought she just left without me...'

Bo watched him carefully. 'What really happened that night?'

Nicholas closed his eyes. _He did it to her because of me. It was my fault._

'I asked you a question, Nicky. What really happened that night?'

Nicholas managed to pull himself together. 'Mum seemed out of sorts about two months after we left Salem. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong and I noticed she and Dad seemed to snip at each other often but I thought they always managed to sort things out. Clearly I was wrong about that, it was all an elaborate front. Sometime later, Dad took us on a holiday in his yacht and one night...Mum came to my room. She said we were going away on a little trip, that she and Dad were unhappy and needed some space.' Nicholas' voice shook. 'I yelled at her. I said I wasn't going to leave my father and _she_ was probably making him unhappy with her drama. She tried to calm me down but I wouldn't listen to her. I ran away from her and...' he couldn't go on.

'And what?' Bo asked, his hands itching to strangle Nicholas as he guessed what was coming.

'I swear, I never thought he would do such a thing to her, I didn't!' Tears slid down Nicholas' cheeks. 'I ran into Dad outside and I told him... I repeated what she said to me.' He bowed his head in shame.

Roman raised his eyes to the ceiling, while Abe shook his head.

'He said I shouldn't worry about it, that he would talk to her. I went to bed. The next morning... he told me she'd packed a case and left, telling him to look after me since I wouldn't go with her. And a week later, he told me he'd heard word that she'd drowned in a boating accident, trying to make it to the mainland. He lied to me!'

'But you were the one who told him she was leaving him.' Bo's voice shook with anger.

'I was just a boy, an angry, _thoughtless_ little boy!' Nicholas rose to his feet.

'You've always been blind when your father or Vivian was concerned so don't expect me to feel any sympathy for you right now. Half the time you gave that woman grief but she loved you far too much to ever see your vicious side. Before you left Salem, I really thought you'd changed. I should've expected far less from Larry Alamain's spawn!'

Swallowing, Nicholas hung his head, wiping his eyes.

'Well,' Abe said briskly. 'What are we going to do now? Clarice is going to demand to know who he is and why he attacked her at Bo's place.'

'We'll just have to play it well for her benefit. We pretend to interrogate him, he says it's a case of false identity; he gets a slap on a wrist and he's out of here.' Bo said, working it out.

'Is there no chance at all that she would recognise me? I'm her son.' Nicholas protested. 'I want to help her with her memory, make it up to her.'

'That's partly the reason why we're doing this, to see if she _does_ recognise you. There's a chance that she might, if she does; yeah, you can stay and help her get her memory back. If she doesn't, you will leave Salem and keep your mouth _shut_. It's not in her best interest Larry finds out she's alive.' Bo said, his tone broking no argument.

'I may have been a thoughtless little boy but I'm not evil.' Nicholas replied, chastened. 'And I don't see why I can't stay around and be near her.'

'That's out of the question,' said Abe firmly. 'Because then your father will come here to see you and everything will be out. You can't stay here, it's too dangerous for her...and a lot of people.

Nicholas turned to looked at Bo. 'She didn't remember you on sight yet you two are in a relationship again. Am I missing something here?'

Bo didn't deign to reply.

'Let's now decide what we're doing to let Carly know.' Roman sat down again.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rafe Hernandez was quickly briefed and told to handle the fake interrogation. Clarice arrived at the station the next morning and she and Bo with Roman watched Nicholas and Rafe talk through the one-way mirror. Nicholas stated that he had acted impulsively and it had all been a case of mistaken identity-the woman in Bo's house had merely reminded him of someone else. Bo kept looking at her frowning face for any sign of recognition.

'Lord knows who this woman was to set him off like that.'

'Want to press charges?' asked Roman.

She shook her head. 'No. But I want to talk to him.'

'Why?'

'I don't know... I just feel this need to.'

Rafe ended the interview and left the room. Bo stood back, allowing her to enter the room. Nicholas tensed as he stared at his mother.

'Hi.' Clarice said.

'Hello.' He mumbled, anxiously wondering if she would see anything familiar about him at all, hence he would be allowed to stay and help her.

'Nicholas, is it?'

'Yes, but you can call me... umm...Nicky.' he said, sensing Bo was furiously staring at him through the one-way mirror but was desperate to see if it would trigger off something in her mind. It was all still a nightmare to him, a nightmare that was partly his doing.

'Nicky.' Clarice repeated. 'Doesn't seem in keeping with you.'

He was silent.

'Look, I've decided not to press charges against you. But I feel there's more than what you told Detective Hernandez.'

'I don't know what else to tell you, Ms Parker. I gave my statement to your colleague and it's the truth. And I apologise most sincerely for what happened.'

Clarice studied him. He was a handsome young man, from his accent polished and cultured, yet she sensed a troubled little boy inside. For a very strange reason, she felt like giving him a hug, which shocked her. 'I accept your apology. But I sincerely hope you aren't going to go around attacking other women under the guise of "mistaken identity" after your release. Because for some reason, I don't believe you.' She said coldly. 'I better not see you around here again, you understand?'

 _She honestly doesn't remember me_... _my own mother_ , Nicholas thought, feeling heartsick. Maybe she was drawn to Bo Brady despite her condition because her days with him in the past had been all light and sunshine while her days with Lawrence had been all darkness...and he had been a part of it. She was this way because of _him_ , because of _his_ betrayal.

'Understood.' He managed to say.

Turning her heel, she left the room. 'Cut him loose.' She told Bo and Roman.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Later in his hotel room, Nicholas Alamain wept for hours; wracked with guilt and despair and cursing Lawrence over and over. It had been sheer agony standing in the same room with Carly, unable to tell her the truth...seeing how she didn't even recognise him. How could he have known it would come to this?

Calming down at last, he drifted off to sleep. And in the morning, he made an appointment with Bo, agreeing to meet him at the docks.

Bo found Nicholas staring at the tugboats going along the river, his hands thrust deep in his jacket pockets. He turned as Bo approached him.

'I owe you yet another apology Bo. It won't erase what happened but...I just hope you will accept it. I was a spoilt bratty boy who took advantage of my mother's love for me. I was the master of manipulation, just like him. And I helped destroy her life. It was a miracle she survived that ordeal... a miracle she came back here, back to you. With what she's going through right now, I'm glad she has you again.'

'Appreciate that.'

Nicholas shook his head sadly. 'Is her condition permanent?'

'We don't know. But Roman's ex wife...she's a trained psychiatrist, she feels it's best her memory comes back naturally. The doctors who tried treating her in the past only made things worse, which is why in the end her brain had to be planted with false memories. Somehow or other, she's going to remember. We just don't know when.'

'I'm not going to tell my father or Vivian about it, I hope you can trust me on that. I won't endanger Mum's life for anything.' He gave a harsh, mirthless laugh. 'I had the impudence to say she had a lot to answer for when it was _I_ the whole time!' He dashed some angry tears away impatiently. 'I don't blame you for despising me, I despise _me_. I just hope when she finally remembers everything, she'll find it in her heart to forgive me.' He turned to Bo. 'And I hope you will be able to as well.'

Bo turned away, unable to look at him.

'I don't need to tell you this but please... take care of her for me. When she starts to remember,' he reached into his pocket and brought out a card from his wallet. 'Call me by any of these numbers, and I'll be here. Promise me you will, Bo. I beg you.'

Bo turned back and saw the stark desperation on Nicholas' face. 'Sure.' He said at last, taking the card.

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That night as they lay entwined in each other's arms, Clarice jerked awake from another dream. A dream where she was in a candle lit room and she was in a man's arms. A faceless man with a tattoo, a tattoo she now saw clearly enough to see it was the same as the one on Bo's back.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Days later, Clarice had another nightmare, this time it was more vivid.

 _She was running along the deck of a boat. Or rather limping, she was dragging her right leg. Her face was covered with bruises; blood was flowing from her left temple. The menace was gaining on her; she could feel his cold fury; his fists... his shouts. Next thing she knew she was sinking deep in water..._

'Clarice!' Bo cried, swiftly grabbing her arms. 'Clarice, wake up!'

Clarice could feel sheer terror, the sinking realisation she was going to die...

'Clarice, Clarice!'

Swiftly, Clarice was pulled out of the cold darkness and found herself enveloped in warmth, in Bo's arms, his soothing voice in her ear. Sobbing, she clung to him; describing the dream to him. 'I don't know if it's some sort of premonition... but it scares me. Honey, it scares me!'

Bo held her until she stopped crying, and then left to go downstairs to get her some warm milk. She was more composed when he came back; taking the tall glass from him. 'I'm sorry.'

'No, No...' he stroked her hair. She looked pale, her eyes red from weeping. 'You need some aspirin?'

'No, the milk's ok. Thanks baby.' Clarice hated painkillers, always avoided them if she could help it. Bo watched her as she drank. 'Do you feel better now?'

She managed a small smile. 'You always make me feel better.' Raising her hand, she touched his cheek. 'Thank you for putting up with all this... with me.'

'Hey...what's this talk, "putting up with me"? What am I here for, princess?'

'What do you think the dream means, Bo? Because I can't imagine why. It's different from the ones I have of you...'

'The ones you have of me?' Bo asked, immediately alert. 'What do you mean?'

Clarice blushed. 'While I was still at the hospital, I dreamt I was in a candle lit room and I was making love with you. At least, I realised it was you after I realised the tattoo I saw was the same one you have here.' Her hand moved down to touch it. 'That was the night I knew I was in love with you. I think the dreams were a sign we'll be together. But the nightmares... do you think they are some sort of premonition?'

Bo slipped his arm round her, pulling her close. Clarice's memories were coming back through dreams; the good and the bad. But she still had a long way to go and he was going to help her take a step further by what he had in store for her. 'Dreams don't always mean anything, princess.'

'Why would I have a nightmare like that if it doesn't mean anything? It was almost as if... as if it _actually_ happened to me in the past but I have no memory of it. Crazy, isn't it? I've been in law enforcement for years and here I am terrified over a bad dream.'

Bo pressed his lips against her forehead, inwardly cursing Lawrence again. Nicholas hadn't witnessed his mother being beaten up, but from what she described, he could now visualise what happened to her that terrible night. 'Try not to put too much thought over a nightmare, princess.' He urged. 'That's just what it was, a nightmare.'

Clarice sighed, nestling closer to him. 'I'm really trying not to. But it seemed far too real not to think about.'

'Then let me give you something else to think about.' Releasing her, Bo pulled something out of the nightstand drawer, giving it to her. Clarice's listless face lit up in seconds at the brochure _. 'Cancun?'_

'I thought the best place to unwind and lose all that stress is two weeks in sunny Mexico.' Bo was pleased he'd managed to divert her attention from the nightmare. 'We'll stop at Chichén Itza first, do some exploring.'

'Oh... I've heard about that place, that's an ancient Mayan city isn't it?' Clarice asked eagerly. 'I've never been to Mexico, what fun it's going to be! When do we leave?'

'Next weekend, so mark your calendar.' Bo kissed her, hugging her hard.

'Thank you so much for this, honey.' Clarice said as he turned off the light, drawing her back against him.

'You're welcome, princess.' Bo replied softly, pressing a kiss on the back of her neck.

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Bo put up with some good natured ribbing from Roman and Abe about his upcoming trip, as he went over work matters with them. Roman knew more than Abe the reason why Bo picked Cancun; it held a special significance to Clarice... when she was still Carly. Bo told him about Clarice's nightmare, which had stirred his anger; wondering what on earth would bring any man to almost murder his own wife.

'Bo, that's terrible.' Abe said, shaking his head, after hearing about it as well. 'I mean, we know she was found terribly injured but to now picture what went down that night... just terrible.'

Bo's face wore a grim scowl. 'Larry _threw_ her overboard after beating her. And I'm starting to wonder if Nicky was telling the truth about not knowing what he did to her that night.'

Roman shook his head. 'You might believe that Bo, but somehow I don't think so. Nicky was a spoilt, arrogant little brat years ago; but you saw how he reacted when we told him the whole story and showed him Shane's report. 'He's an Alamain but he's _not_ his father. He wants her to remember who she is as much as we do.'

'Have you even given a thought about what would happen when she finally remembers?' Abe asked.

'What do you mean?'

Abe shrugged. 'Her reaction and how she's going to take it. It might be something she'll not be able to handle.'

Roman nodded in agreement. 'Abe's right. I think you should prepare yourself for that, Bo. It's not going to be easy for her, the very moment she realises she's not the person she's been living as for several years.

'She'll be able to handle it, with _my_ help.' Bo said forcibly. 'And Frankie's... and Marlena's, once she and John get back. Clarice can handle anything.'

But a nagging fear suddenly stabbed him. Once Clarice remembers, _will she still love him?_

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Clarice went shopping on her spare time, buying what she needed for the trip. Swimsuits, suntan oil, shorts, tops, sensible footwear and a large sunhat. She couldn't remember the last time she took time off for a vacation, the few times she was able to were usually on her own. This trip was really what she needed, and Bo coming along added to her euphoria. To her relief, the nightmare didn't resurface and she tried not to think negative thoughts and did her best to ignore the nagging sense of disconnection she still felt. The day before they left, she came back to the house with yet another shopping bag. 'Wow...and what have you got there this time?' Bo teased her, tossing aside the newspaper he was reading. From the way she blushed and thrust the bag behind her, he had a pretty good idea. 'Come on...let's see it.'

'No.' she said defiantly.

'Princess, I'm bigger and stronger and unless you want me to use excessive force...' Bo advanced on her. Squealing with mock fear, she fled and Bo chased her round the couch, getting the bag from her.

'No, No... Don't open it _yet!_ ' she pleaded but it was too late. In seconds, Bo was examining a short sheer black lace nightgown that _definitely_ appealed to his fantasises.

'It was supposed to be a surprise and now you've ruined it!' Clarice grumbled, trying not to smile at the appreciative glint in Bo's eye she couldn't help but notice.

'Well, since the cat's out of the bag, what say you model it for me right now?' Bo grinned predatorily, holding it up.

Clarice snatched it back from him and pounced, forcing him back on the couch and tickling him until he laughed helplessly under her. 'That's not funny...' he gasped, shaking with laughter as he tried to fend her off.

'Serves you right, you killjoy!' Clarice retorted, refused to back off. Somehow, Bo managed to roll over, pining her down on the couch. 'Now I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine, lady!'

'No, no... Stop!' Clarice pleaded. Grinning, Bo leaned down to kiss her deeply and her arms went round his neck as she kissed him back. Pulling away for air, Bo ran his finger over that pretty face staring up at him, vivid green eyes warm and loving. _Suppose she remembers and her feelings change? Suppose she reacts with anger and walks out of his life again?_

'Something wrong?' Clarice asked, touching his cheek.

'Nothing... it's just... you know I love you more than anything right?'

'Of course I do.'

'And you know I would do anything to protect you...anything?'

Clarice's face puckered as she frowned. 'I know that too honey, why are you so serious all of a sudden?'

'Because I don't want anything to ever change between us, Clarice. I'm living a whole new chapter of my life and I don't ever want to be without you. You have no idea, just how important you are to me. If I could spell out your name across the sky I would, just to show how much I love you, Clarice Parker.'

Clarice could see the intensity in Bo's piercing brown eyes. 'I _do_ know. I love you too, I've never loved anyone as much as I love you, Bo Brady. And I'll always, always be with you... for the rest of my life.' She hugged him, pressing her cheek against his. Bo held her tightly, praying his fears will not come to pass.

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Professor Hank Moore hugged Bo tightly, unable to express his feelings at being reunited with him after so many years. 'Good to see you again, Bo. So good to see you.' He said gruffly. Soledad shook hands with him, her pretty face still as shy as he remembered. Bo got in touch with him after managing to track his email address. After narrating what happened, he had informed him of their arrival and Hank had replied, insisting they stayed at their guest bungalow.

Clarice was introduced to the Moores and immediately found herself warming to them. 'Thank you for having us.' She said.

'Hey, any friend of Bo's is a friend of mine. You're here to unwind so make sure you do, Clarice.'

Clarice laughed. 'I will try.'

As soon as they were alone, Hank said, 'You honestly think this will work?'

'I'm positive it will. If not, I don't know what else to do.'

'It will.' Soledad said quietly. 'People say they can feel the benevolent spirits around Chichén Itza. And as you and Carlina are still spiritual partners after all this time, the power that bound you both together, will bring back her memory.'

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The next morning, Bo led Clarice across the Grand Ball Court. Clarice was speechless with admiration at the ancient pre-Columbian city built by the Mayan people. 'This place is unbelievable. Imagine the people who lived here thousands of years ago, Bo! Everywhere's so breathtaking!' She gasped at the pyramid looming up them. 'What's this called?'

'It's the Temple of Kukulcan. But it's mostly known as El Castillo. Years and years ago, it served as a temple to the Mayan god Kukulkan.'

'El Castillo...' Clarice murmured, awed. 'And it's so well preserved too. Can we climb up?'

'Hell no. Hank said no one's allowed up there- not since a woman had a nasty accident some years ago.'

'Oh... how terrible.' Clarice cringed at the gruesome image as she stared up the steep narrow steps. The pyramid was magnificent. So was the Ball Court. If she could shut her eyes, she could imagine the Maya people gathering together here to pay homage to their deity.

She walked ahead of Bo, eyes scanning the picturesque surroundings, a sudden stab of déjà vu hitting her. The place seemed so familiar... she felt so in tune with the place... like it was a part of her, a huge part of her.

'Clarice, are you okay?' Bo asked from behind, watching her carefully.

Clarice said nothing, she kept staring round. Something was stirring in her mind... like the opening scene of a movie. She shut her eyes.

 _She could see herself standing in the very same Ball Court. She was younger, her hair longer. She was running towards someone... she was laughing._ Clarice forced herself to focus... to see who she was running to.

 _Someone was running to her from the opposite direction. It was Bo... younger but it was Bo, catching her and twirling her in his arms!_

She opened her eyes, heart thumping and head aching as she turned to Bo. 'I've been here before.' She said slowly. 'You and I... we've been here _before_.'

Bo said nothing, waiting for her to say more. Another scene came into Clarice's mind...

' _Let's do this right, so we won't have any regrets.' Bo knelt before her, her hand clasped in his, a big smile on his handsome face. 'I love you. I know it took me an awful long time to admit that. But now that I have, I don't want to waste another day or another hour... because I love you princess.' His voice was thick with emotion. Take care of you... now and for the rest of our lives. '_

 _'_ _I want that too.' She was saying, her voice tearful._

 _'_ _So, will you marry me?' he asked her._

 _She knelt down to face him, holding his face. 'Yes.' She whispered, her lips touching his..._

Opening her eyes, Clarice turned to face him. Her face was now pale, her forehead sweaty. 'I know you.' She whispered. 'My God... I _know_ you from long ago.' A name suddenly leapt from the deep recesses of her mind as though eager to jump out after being locked away for so long. 'Sailor...'

 _At last,_ Bo thought as he hurried to take her into his arms.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Bo stayed by the window, waiting for Clarice to come in. It's been almost two hours since he left her at the Ball Court, at her request. What he had to tell her had made her break down in tears and it had taken ages for him to console her. She was probably strolling around, trying to recover from what she learned about herself.

Hank appeared at his shoulder. 'It's going to be okay, Bo. She just needs enough time to process everything.'

'I know. But I'm really scared.' Bo replied, accepting the chilled fruit juice Soledad served him. 'She might decide she doesn't want to be with me after all.'

'That's not the way to talk,' Soledad gently admonished, something she wouldn't have done years ago. 'She had no idea you were a part of her past when she fell in love with you again. You two are meant for each other... you must believe in her love for you.'

Bo sighed, turning back to the window; wondering what his princess was thinking about right about that moment, willing for her to come in and talk things out with him. If it resorted to begging, he will. For the first time since his divorce, he went over his marriage with Hope. He had loved her to distraction; had shared three children, happiness and sorrow with her. And in the end, he was no longer worthy to be her husband in her eyes. Looking back, it was as though her love for him was conditional, put one foot down and he had to work hard at winning her back. Carly never made him feel that way. True, there were times she had trouble confiding in him, which made him feel there was a part of her he couldn't reach. But when she did open up, he realised how wrong he was. Carly, along with Frankie, didn't have the best of childhoods, despite living a privileged life in their vast family estate. Their parents were almost nonexistent in their lives; hence Carly and Frankie turned to each other for comfort. And after running away from boarding school and later getting tricked by Lawrence, Carly got so used to being her own counsel, looking after herself and walking alone. How many talks did they have about allowing him to share her burdens and letting him protect her, assuring her it was not a sign of weakness on her part? Her stubborn independence was one of the reasons why he loved her. Bo remembered the feeling of despair and sad resignation the day they said goodbye. So far, the only thing Clarice remembered was that they were in love many years ago. He cringed at the stricken look on her face when he told her she later left him and why. And after so many years apart, falling in love with her all over again, he couldn't lose her a second time.

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He set out for the Ball Court to look for her. She was standing at the very centre, staring up at El Castillo; as though the great ancient pyramid would give her more answers. Bo stared at her from afar. He couldn't see her expression from where he stood but her stance was forlorn and his heart went out to her. He can understand if she was angry and confused but will she allow him to help her, or rage and storm at him before breaking up with him?

Clarice suddenly turned and saw him. When she didn't come to him, Bo walked towards her, eyes only on her face, which was impassive. Before he could speak, she turned away from him.

'Princess, I know this is really hard for you. But you have to understand that we all kept this from you for your own protection. We didn't know what else to do. I had to keep you safe.'

No answer.

'I _never_ forgot you.' Bo continued. 'I moved on with my life but I always hoped you were happy wherever you were. When I found out what really happened to you after you came back, it almost killed me. I couldn't let you go on living as Clarice Parker, that's why Abe, Roman and I made sure we kept you in Salem, to help you get your memory back.'

'It's all so stupid.' Clarice said at last in a low voice, not looking at him. 'I have memories of a family yet I don't remember them. For so long it never occurred to me why that was. And I until I came to Salem, I never questioned myself. Now it all makes sense, why I've been so disconnected, the flashes of déjà vu and how I was able to help that woman who was mugged, why I _knew_ what to do.' She held up her clenched hands. 'I was once a doctor. A doctor who healed people. But for years, I've... I've been carrying a gun, _taking_ lives...' her voice shook.

'You never took _innocent_ lives. You're in law enforcement; it's either the enemy or _you_. Carly, don't do this to yourself, please.' He slipped his arms round her but to his distress, she shook them off.

'Please don't, I can't bear you to touch me right now. And don't call me _Carly_.'

Bo's heart sank further. She was changing towards him already.

'Princess, whatever you choose to call yourself, I love you. That's not a lie. I fell in love with you a long time ago. Right here, I asked you to marry me after a long time of denying what I felt; all those times I pushed you away. And then fate brought you back into my life, at that particular time my life was crumbling. I fell all over again and I don't ever want to lose you. Not many couples torn apart have a second chance like we do. Being with you these passed months, it's been heaven... our definition of heaven. I want to help you, in every way I can. So before you decide we...' his voice shook a bit, 'we end things... just remember, I love you very much.'

He wanted to reach out to touch her arm but stopped himself before sadly walking away.

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'Honey, she's angry and confused right now, it doesn't mean she's going to break up with you.' Caroline tried reassuring her son, whose face was wearing a look of devastation.

'And you're sure as hell not going to let her go without a fight either.' Roman said firmly. 'Quit worrying. She'll come around.'

Bo stared at his mother and brother's earnest faces on Hank's computer screen, willing them to be right. 'All of a sudden, it was just like the night years ago when we all found out she was alive; she didn't recognise us, or me and pushed me away. Do you have any idea how it felt, the woman I love having no memory of our time together and Larry gloating about it? She was his Katerina and not my Carly. And before I knew it, I lost her.'

' _And you got her back_. And something far more powerful than anything Lawrence and Vivian did to her made you both fall in love again,' Roman replied. 'Now more than ever I believe something really powerful joined you guys that day at El Castillo, when you made your vows to each other. No matter what, you two aren't going to be apart again. You just make sure you do your part.' Roman urged.

Bo thanked them both but still looked glum after they signed off.

'I really hope things go right, Bo's been so happy with her since they started dating.'

'I know Mum. And Carly needs to remember more than she does right now so we'll all have to do our part when they come home. We'll talk to her if Bo asks us to.'

Caroline nodded, anxious on her younger son's behalf. Privately she had thought Bo was on the rebound when she first found out they were dating but seeing him with Carly, looking happy and in love like they were when they were younger, changed her mind. And Carly's sufferings at Lawrence's hands made Caroline feel protective towards her. Roman had told her what Nicholas told them, her hatred for Lawrence Alamain further heightened; not only for almost killing Carly but for making her son believe she abandoned him and then died. The man was an animal and Carly was thankfully far away from him. All that remained was for her to get the rest of her memory back, with the family's help, especially Bo's.

 _Don't turn away from him Carly_ , she said silently. _You need each other, far more than you realise right now._

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Bo jerked awake when he felt a hand touch his face. Opening his eyes, he saw Clarice sitting on the bed, looking at him solemnly. 'Hey...' he sat up. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine.' She nodded. 'Confused, but fine. I needed time to think.'

'That's okay.' Bo replied, wondering if _they_ were okay. When she didn't come back, he'd fallen asleep waiting up for her. 'Are you still mad at me?'

'No.' she said softly 'Not anymore. And after going over things, over and over... I reached the same conclusion. If I was fool enough to walk away from you years ago and I still can't believe I did such a thing...'

'It wasn't something you would've done if Vivian hadn't done what she did to you.' Bo interrupted.

Clarice shook her head. 'Whatever the circumstances. I _hurt_ you. And yet, even after everything, here we are. There are a lot of things I still don't remember. But what I do know is I would be a fool ten times over if I gave up the man who loves me as much as I love him.' A tear rolled down her cheek, her voice slightly trembling as she pressed her lips against his, frantically kissing him. Bo, so thankful and relieved, returned her kiss hungrily and furiously, pulling her hard against him; their mouth fused in heated passion. 'I was afraid you were going to leave me,' he whispered, still holding her, his face against her neck.

'Never, never again.' She whispered back, stroking his hair. 'I need you...more than ever. I'm so sorry I pushed you away like that.'

'You were upset, it's understandable.' Bo raised his head, wiping the tears off her cheeks with his fingers. 'Listen, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you, so is the family. And Marlena promised to do all she can for you.'

Clarice hesitated, struggling to remember who he was referring to but failed. 'Who's Marlena?' she asked.

'She's Roman's ex wife. She's a psychiatrist and you two were great friends. She was the one who suggested we try and let you remember gradually. Don't worry, whatever she has in mind to help you; I'll be with you to hold your hand, I promise.'

'Knowing that makes me feel less scared. I love you so much.'

Bo held her face, loving her so much that he couldn't express it in words. He kissed her again, hands lifting her T shirt by the hem over her head and lowered her onto the bed. For the rest of the night, there was no talking as they made passionate love, reaffirming their love for each other.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

On their third day in Chichén Itza, Professor Moore took Bo aside and asked him accompany him to the house of a friend of his. Curious, Bo left Carly with Soledad, following the older man down a rough trail. 'Who's this guy you want me to meet?'

'Someone Soledad and I think just might be able to help Carly get her memory back.'

'A psychiatrist?'

'Well, he has a medical degree but isn't exactly an orthodox psychiatrist. He specialises in Holistic Hypnotherapy.'

Bo quickened his pace. 'For real?'

'Like I said Bo, _just_ _might_ help her. I don't know if his type of hypnotherapy treats Retrograde Amnesia. From what you told me, Carly's condition was caused by a severe trauma. It's a long shot but still... he could be the answer.'

'I'm open to anything that can help her, Hank.'

'Well then, let's hope we're heading towards to the solution.'

Dr. Diego Montalvo was in his late sixties, with white flowing hair and a trimmed beard. The shrewd black eyes behind his thick glasses gave Bo further reassurance of his competence. After offering his guests a drink, Moore told him why they'd come, leaving Bo to tell the whole story in detail. Dr. Montalvo sat back in his armchair, listening intently.

'So first dreams... and then she experienced a flash of memory at the Ball Court?' he said at last.

'Yes. Is that normal?'

'Given the severity of her condition, I would describe it as more rare than normal. Rare but not quite unheard of. She experienced it because it was a happy event in her past, you see. A marriage proposal, on that very spot... yes, a very happy event. Returning to the place it happened, it would certainly trigger the memory of it. I must ask though, did your lady ever experience dreams of her past before she returned to Salem?'

'No. She told me the dreams started the night she got shot in my house.'

'Well it's definitely significant. Like I said, not many patients with such a severe form of amnesia will immediately respond to familiar surroundings... or a close person from their past. These things take quite some time. I won't take her back to that fateful night on her husband's yacht. That will simply traumatise her. What I can actually do for is let her mind be more susceptible to more flashes of memory. You should do your part after that. Take her to familiar places, talk about things you both usually did, make some allusions. But mind, not all at once. You must deal with this with patience and diligence, Mr. Brady.'

'Please, call me Bo.'

'Very well, Bo. Bring Clarice over tomorrow morning. I will do what I can with her. In the meantime, tell me more of your history together.' He brought out a notepad and pen to take notes.

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For Ciara's and appearances' sake, Hope did her best to keep her bitterness to a minimum. She clearly recalled how angry and hurt Bo was when she chose to take Ciara on vacation without him, accusing him of so many things. If _only_ she hadn't been _so_ bull headed and taken things too far. But it was too late for 'what ifs'. Their marriage was over.

Ciara, luckily, has managed to adjust to the changes in her life; she still had her Dad after all. But for Hope, it has always been Bo. And Bo taking a trip, with another woman, further reminded her how foolish she had been to push Bo away instead of healing from the trauma _with_ him.

Entering _The Java_ , she ordered some coffee. As she watched a few couples at other tables, a pang of loneliness weighed heavily on her. She didn't notice a pair of blue eyes was watching her intently. Her coffee arrived and as she took a sip of it, she heard, 'You shouldn't have such a look on your face. It may grow on you.'

Hope turned to look at the speaker. He was tall, with blond hair and an amused, engaging smile. And Hope couldn't help but notice he spoke in an European accent she couldn't place. For a second she felt like freezing him off with a cold word. But then, it would be rude and she was in a coffee house all by herself. 'I'll try not to let it,' she replied drily.

'May I join you?'

At her nod, he took a cup from the counter and walked over to her table, sitting opposite her. 'You're not from around here, obviously.'

'My accent always seems to give me away,' the stranger replied, smiling. 'My father was English. But I was raised in Monaco.' He stretched out a hand. 'Elliot Sanders.'

'Hope Brady.' She shook it. 'What brings you to Salem then?'

'A well earned holiday. I write articles for anyone who would pay for them. Last month I was absolutely swarmed with clients' demands. Soon as I met the last deadline, I said to myself "I don't want to see my computer until I get my sanity back.'' '

Hope found herself chuckling, something she hadn't done in a while. Justin had taken her out on a few dates but failed to cheer her up. Elliot's natural warmth was soothing.

'And what does Hope Brady do when she's not attracting some lonely man's attention with those dark eyes?'

Hope felt a warmth on her cheeks. Surely, surely she wasn't...

'Ah, now the lady is blushing.'

Hope felt like a callow teenage girl all over again and it made her uncomfortable. But at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to appear rude to Elliot, who seemed genuinely friendly. Eyeing him for a few seconds she replied with a faint smile, 'I'm in Law enforcement.'

'A lawyer then?'

'A cop.'

'No!' his eyes widened. 'You're pulling my leg, you are.'

'I am, believe it or not. Or are you one of those guys who think women in the police force should look all burly and scowling?'

'Of course not. But well... it would've been my last guess I have to admit.' He glanced down at the silver dainty ring on a finger of her right hand and at her ringless left hand.

'No, I'm not married.' Hope said, a trace of bitterness back in her voice. 'Actually, I got divorced several months ago.'

'I'm very sorry to hear that.' Elliot said quietly. 'Was it an acrimonious divorce?'

Hope felt herself on a verge of tears and a sudden desire to be alone. 'Look Elliot, it was nice meeting you,' she grabbed her purse from the table and got to her feet. 'But I have to get back to the station.'

'Oh dear, now I've upset you.' Elliot rose too, staring at her with concern.

'No, no... It's not _you_. Really it isn't. It's just... well, some things are hard to talk about.'

'I'm in town for a week or so. I would like to see you again. Please.' He pulled out a card and pressed it into Hope's hand. 'Give me a call. We can have dinner or something.'

Hope had no intention of ever calling him. But she took the card and gruffly thanked him.

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Bo watched as Clarice was hypnotised. There were candles, burning sage in the room and New Age music playing from a stereo at the corner. After explaining to her what he was going to do, she was willing to undergo it; more than anxious to regain her memory. Diego urged her to relax, massaging her temples and speaking to her in a low, calm voice, instructing her to take several deep breaths.

'What is your name?'

'Katerina Von Leuschner,' was the answer. 'I mean... that is my birth name.'

'What name are you using now?'

'Carly Manning.'

'Carly, it's November 1991. You and Bo are in a very special place. The sun is on your hair, he's standing in front of you. He's now kneeling in front of you. He's asking you to marry him and you are thrilled, because it's a question you've longed waited for. It's the happiest moment of your life with him. He's the love of your life... you feel safe with him.'

'Yes,' Clarice replied, a smile on her face. 'I always do.'

'You have several happy memories with him. The best one, your symbolic Mayan wedding on top of El Castillo. You pledged your love for each other, strengthening the bond you already have between you. There are many more memories with Bo but you must try to unlock them. And you will. Be less anxious, relax your mind. Turn to him when you are troubled.' He went on with the session, while Bo stayed quietly in the background.

Finally he said, 'I'm going to count to five and snap my fingers. When you wake up, you are not going to remember anything I said. But from now on, you will probably be getting more flashes of memory, which will eventually lead to your recovery. One, two, three, four, five.'

At the snap of his fingers, Clarice's eyes opened and she sat up from the chaise lounge she had been lying on. 'How do you feel, Clarice?'

'Relaxed.' She replied as Bo walked over to her. 'More relaxed than I've ever been before.

'Good, we will do 3 more sessions of this. Have some of this before you go.' He poured something from a kettle into a small wooden cup and gave it to her. 'It's a special herbal tea.'

Clarice thanked him and drank it. 'The results of this therapy won't be instantaneous. But it will yield positive results in due time.'

'Thank you, Dr. Montalvo.' Clarice said, hoping he was right.

Walking back to Hank and Soledad's house hand in hand, Clarice looked pensive but when she turned to look at Bo, she was smiling.

'This was a good idea. All of a sudden I feel more positive.'

Bo pulled her closer, slipping his arm round her waist. 'Like Montalvo said, in due time you'll remember more.' Clarice had asked Bo to give her a few more details about herself and he had.

'Yeah but...' she now frowned. 'I'm still trying to get over the fact that Nicholas is my son, a son I still don't remember. Or... that I actually left you.'

'Hey, hey...' stopping, Bo held her face between his palms. 'We're together now and we're going to _stay_ together. After all these years we found each other... that's what you should focus on. No more negative thoughts, okay?'

Clarice nodded. 'Okay.'

Pressing a kiss on her mouth, he led them up the path, wondering how she would react to the surprise he had in store for her that night.

The rest of the day was spent walking around the ancient Ball Court and then the village where they bought some novelties Ciara and the rest of the family might like.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Where are we going?' Clarice said yet again as Bo led her through a thicket that evening.

'You'll see in a minute princess, we're almost there.'

Clarice kept a tight grip of his hand, feeling excited. From his whispered conversation with Hank and Soledad, she had a feeling he was planning a surprise and to her chagrin, failed to get a single hint from him.

'Now we're here.' Bo pulled her forward and removed the blindfold covering her eyes, watching the astounded look on her face. They were in a clearing in the woods, lit by two flaming torches. There was a checked blanket on the ground, with a basket.

'Oh my... what's this then?' she asked in wonder. 'Did... did we do this years ago?'

'Yeah, the night before our symbolic wedding.' Bo nodded. 'In ancient times, it was a Mayan ritual a betrothed couple observed the night before their wedding. They take torches,' he took one and handed to her before taking the other. 'And light a fire.' He added, indicating the pile of sticks set up for a bonfire.

Clarice was enchanted by the whole setup. 'What is the significance of the lighting the fire?'

Bo smiled at her. 'They light a fire because the flames represent strength and warmth. They stand in its glow and feel their own strength and warmth from another flame. A fire lit by the couple symbolises the strength and warmth between them. The glow never goes out. Like ours, princess.'

'That's so beautiful.' Clarice whispered.

'Shall we?'

'Of course.'

Simultaneously, they lit the fire and the flames slowly licked their way through the sticks, evolving to a glowing blaze.

Bo placed the torches safely back on the stand, before going back to Clarice. Taking her hand, he pulled her down on the blanket. 'First,' he said, producing a bouquet of multicoloured flowers from the basket, presenting it to her.

'They're beautiful, thank you.' Clarice said, pressing a kiss on Bo's cheek before sniffing them. Pleased, Bo burrowed into the basket again, bringing out a bottle and two glasses. Clarice watched as he filled one with golden liquid and gave it to her, pouring some for himself.

'This is delicious, what's it called?' she asked, after taking a sip.

'Xtabentún.'

She repeated the name, nodding in approval after taking another sip. 'It sort tastes like mead, only stronger.'

'Fermented honey and anise seed. Not to mention nectar from the Xtabentún plant, that's how it got its name. We had this that night too. You like?'

Carly would have replied 'I love,' but Clarice smiled wider and nodded again. 'The drink, the setting and my boyfriend... him especially.'

Bo smiled back at her, before bringing out the snacks Soledad prepared for them from the basket.

After their meal, Bo filled their glasses again. 'What was I like back then?'

'Far more stubborn than you are now.' Clarice made a face at him and he laughed. 'You did ask, princess. But you were also selfless and kind, a really dedicated doctor and you cared a lot about saving the environment.'

'And you?'

Bo grimaced as he thought about their not so good first start. 'I had a terrible temper. I know, I still got it but I wasn't so good at keeping it back then. At the beginning, when we were first getting to know each other, we fought half the time.'

Clarice's eyes widened and he went on, 'I was still hurting over Hope's death, _supposed_ death. And suddenly there you were, so beautiful and smart. I didn't want you getting attached to me and I didn't want to fall in love with you. I was afraid of my feelings, afraid if I let you into my heart, it would end up getting broken all over again, if anything happened to you too.' Reaching out, he took her hand, squeezing it. 'I made mistakes of my own, princess. Our symbolic would've been legal if only I'd done the right thing instead of leaving you vulnerable to my own father.'

Clarice shuddered at the idea of being married to Victor, still unable to believe she'd been that naive. 'I'm so sorry...'

'No, _I'm_ sorry. I didn't take the chance when I should've, if I hadt, hat marriage wouldn't have happened.'

'But we got together in the end.'

'We sure did.' Letting go of her hand, he touched her face, running his thumb across her lower lip. 'While we were here, toasting to the future and letting go of the past, I suddenly wondered if maybe we should wait after the annulment and make it legal.'

'I said "no" right? Not after all that time apart.'

Bo nodded again, smiling.

' _I love you,' Carly told him earnestly. ' I want to marry you now, and not next month or next year or even next week. NOW.'_

' _You're sure?'_

' _Yes, I'm sure! I don't need a piece of paper to tell me it's real, I know it's real. I love you so much, and I want to be with you forever. I want the whole world to know it.'_

Clarice blinked back her tears as Bo told her what she'd said to him. 'Thank you for this. For bringing me back here, for everything. I want to remember our past, so badly.'

'You _will_ , I know you will in due time. But for now, we've got the rest of the night. Let's just enjoy being together, okay?'

'Yes, you're right. So... did we do anything else here that night?'

Bo was relieved to see that the pensive look on her face was replaced by a glint in her eyes. 'Why do you ask?'

Setting her glass down, she moved closer to cradle his face between her palms. 'I figure that if we did, then we should re-enact it, right?' She began kissing him, hands already busy with the buttons on his shirt.

'Actually,' Bo whispered against her lips, hands moving up her breasts, 'we both decided to wait after the wedding.'

'Are you _kidding?_ ' the shirt slid down his shoulders.

'Trust me, it was more than worth it.' Impatient, the blouse ripped under his hands and was flung away; heated chests moulded as they drew in a tight embrace, exchanging caresses and passionate kisses. Lowering her on the blanket, the rest of their clothes gotten rid of; Bo took Clarice urgently, bringing her to new heights of passion.


End file.
